• 9/11 SMS Picture Day!

• 9/11 PTSA Meeting 4:30 SMS Library

• 9/12 TSA Meeting 8:00 AM

• 9/10 Intramurals Begin (see below in info and reminders)

• 9/11 Girl's Basketball vs Leestown @ SMS 6:00 PM

• 9/11 Academic Team Practice after school

• 9/12 First Student Council meeting 8:00 AM- Room 505

• 9/12 SMS Football vs Leestown @ SMS 6:00 PM

• 9/13 Academic Team Practice 8:00 AM

• 9/17 Chess Club after school 4:00 PM Room 202

• 9/17-9/19 Dance Team Tryouts (see below in info and reminders)

• 9/18 Parent-Teacher Conference Night

• 9/18 SMS Football vs LTMS @ FDHS 6:00 PM

• 9/19 SBDM

• 9/27 Kona Ice

• 9/30-10/4 Fall Break

• 10/7 SMS Volleyball Tryouts (Must have updated KHSAA Physical)

• 10/10 SMS Football vs Morton @ HCHS 6:00 PM

• 10/17 SBDM

• 10/17 SMS Football vs TCMS @ TCHS 6:00 PM

• 10/25 Kona Ice

• 10/30 SMS Trunk or Treat

• 10/24 SMS Football vs Beamont @ PLD 6:00 PM

• 11/21 College, Career, and Special Programs Night at SMS

• 11/27-11/29 Thanksgiving Break

• 12/16 Boys Basketball Tryouts (Must have updated KHSAA Physical)

• 12/23-1/6 Winter Break

• 1/16 Science Night at SMS

• 1/20 No School

• 1/21 Kona Ice

• 2/18 Multicultural Night at SMS

• 2/28 Kona Ice

• 3/21 Spartan Family Breakfast at SMS
  

• 3/21 SPARTAN DAY!

• 3/26 Wellness Night at SMS

• 4/25 Kona Ice

• The academic team will be meeting on Wednesday's after school until 5:30 PM and on Friday mornings at 8:00 AM each week.

• Intramurals (Fitness/Yoga session) will begin September 10 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 AM. This session will end on October 31st. Enter through side exploratory doors (by Ms. Davis's room and the staff parking lots). Permission slips must be turned into Mr. Jerry Smith at room 404.
  

• Patriotic Poetry Contest entries due September 11th. Write a poem in any form on one of these topics: Proud to be an American, Freedom, or a Tribute to the victims or survivors of 9/11. Turn poems in to Mrs. Smith in the library. Top 3 poems win a gift certificate.

• Any student interested in being a part of this year's student council please come to an introductory meeting on September 12th at 8:00 a.m. in Ms. Trisko's room (room #505).
  

• Chess Club will begin September 17 (Tuesdays/Thursdays) after-school 4-5pm in Flex room #202.

• Dance Team tryouts will be Tuesday 9/17 and Thursday 9/19 from 4:30-6:00 PM in the cafeteria. Anyone who attends must have an up to date KHSAA sports physical.

• Please join our PTSA! Please click http://southernms.memberhub.com/store?limit=21&live=true to become a member for $5! They do so much to support our students and staff!

• Did you know you can attend SBDM meetings? (Site Based Decision Making Council). There is a public input portion on the agenda, and you can bring any concerns or questions you have to the council. The council can either offer feedback or choose to put the input on the next agenda- but it is a chance to have your voice heard! All SBDM meetings take place in SMS Library. If you cannot attend an SBDM meeting and have input, you can also email to kevin.payne@fayette.kyschools.us.

• Dress Code Reminder- Students can only wear pajama pants on Fridays if they have maintained their eOS employability. Pajama pants are not permitted any other day than Friday unless a Spirit Week theme.

• *ATTENTION CAR RIDERS* You may ONLY use the car loop in the mornings and afternoons to pickup/drop off your students. Using the staff lot creates a safety issue for our kids.

• Procedure for Student Absences due to Illness and/or Appointments: If your student is absent, please have them bring an excuse note/doctor’s note to Ms. Cornett as soon as they return. Notes need to be returned within three days of the absence. Parents/guardians can also email a note to cari.cornett@fayette.kyschools.us

• Parent notes must be HANDWRITTEN and have the date you wrote it, include the student's first and last name, date of dismissal and/or absence, the reason for early dismissal or absence, and a signature.
• Doctor’s notes can’t be handwritten, they need to come from the doctor’s office your student was seen at. The note needs to include the student’s first and last name and date(s) of service.
• Notes can also be faxed to 859-422-3588 Attn: Ms. Cornett

September 16th-September 20th

TSA is still open for new members. If your child is interested in engineering, video game design, public speaking, digital photography, flight, leadership and so much more then TSA is the place for them. SMS is the has the most awards regionally, state and nationally than any middle school in the state of Kentucky. The next meeting will be on Thursday at 8:00 AM – please drop students off at the front doors. Any SMS student is eligible to participate. Find out more at https://tsaweb.org/ !

We will be offering Academic Restart, our after school tutoring program, each week Monday-Thursday. Students do not need to sign up. It is a drop in program. There is no cost. It will be in Ms. Pack's room (406). Mr. Payne will announce when he dismisses the car riders to the drop off loop to go to "Academic Restart". Students need to come up with something to work on.

Rides need to be here by 5 or students can walk home.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Pack at Jennifer.pack@fayette.kyschools.us

The Mobile Market is a rolling food oasis serving areas in Lexington without a grocery nearby. It is a place where anyone can purchase fresh produce and staples. This is a partnership with The Kroger Co. and God's Pantry. The Mobile Market is a 60-foot trailer. It houses a single-aisle grocery store stocked with a healthy selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, milk (dairy and nondairy options), chicken, beef, pork, deli meat, cheese, yogurt, and a limited amount of household products, such as toilet tissue, detergents, and other cleaning products. The mobile market operates on a cashless system - no cash will be accepted or stored within the Mobile Market. Customers will pay by debit card, credit card, or SNAP/EBT.

There are several stops added to the calendar in the SMS neighborhood!

Please see Mobile Market calendar for more information:

https://www.lexingtonky.gov/MobileMarket

Here are some coming up:

Baunta Apartments

3816 Camelot Dr.

Fridays

2:30-4pm

Briarwood Apartments

1349 Centre Pkwy

Friday August 23 (every other Friday)

12-1:30pm

Tates Creek Community Center

3460 Campus Way

Saturday August 24 (every other Saturday)

10-11:30am

Saddle Run

3395 Spangler Dr.

Saturday August 24 (every other Saturday)

2:30-4pm

8th Grade- 9/13

7th Grade- 9/20

6th Grade- 9/27

Every week your student receives a social-emotional learning lesson during their Academic Leadership class. The lessons will differ by grade level. Second Step is the program utilized and it helps students build social-emotional skills- like nurturing positive relationships, managing emotions, and meeting goals. This helps our students thrive in school and life.

What Lesson is SMS Doing This Week?

6th Grade: Unit 1 Lesson 2 - How to Grow Your brain

7th Grade: Unit 1 Lesson 2 - Creating New Pathways in Your Brain

8th Grade: Unit 1 Lesson 1 - Welcome!

September is National Suicide Prevention Month with the week of Sept. 8th - 14th being dedicated to raising prevention and awareness. On September 10th I will be passing out stickers to the students that want one to promote this important life saving information. Below are some educational links for you to browse at your convenience.

We are so excited to add Mrs. Carla Trisko to our 8th grade Titans team this year. She has been in the education field for 21 years, 20 in FCPS. In her free time she enjoys doing anything outside, specifically going to the beach or playing water volleyball in her pool. She is a grandmother to 11 grandchildren, and is quite the gardener. She is also an animal lover and spends lots of time with her pups. When asked why she was excited to be at SMS Mrs. Trisko said, "The opportunity to work with new people and to teach 8th grade. I am really excited to teach life science. I have also had the opportunity this summer to meet the 8th grade team, who are phenomenal people to know and be with on a regular basis." Welcome to the Spartan family, Mrs. Trisko!

Email: kevin.payne@fayette.kyschools.us
Website: https://southernmiddle.fcps.net/
Location: 400 Wilson Downing Road, Lexington, KY, USA
Phone: (859) 422-3852
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southernmiddleschoolfcps
Twitter: @southern_middle