Be the Change

Good evening Cougars,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. As we get ready to return to school tomorrow, I’m contacting you with a few reminders. Some community neighbors have contacted the school requesting that we remind our families who are picking students up on Carriage Drive to please not block the driveways of the homes. Some homeowners have been blocked in while attempting to leave their homes during our dismissal time. We want to continue to have positive relationships with our neighbors and appreciate your attention to this matter.

This is also a friendly reminder that we have a minimum day this Wednesday, December 4th, followed by Parent Conferences. School will be dismissed at 11:14 am, and conferences will be held from 12:00-2:30 pm. Please join us to connect with all of your student’s teachers in person to discuss their progress.

Lastly, please join me in welcoming Mrs. Aimee Smith, our new vice principal. Mrs. Smith is joining us from Pasteur Middle School, and we are happy to have her.

Happy Sunday. See you all tomorrow.

Respectfully,

Nicole Latimer

Principal, Sylvan Middle School

12.4.24: Parent Teacher Conferences (12-2:30 in MP Room) 11:14 Dismissal

12.11.24: Piano Class Recital 6PM in the Sylvan MP Room

12.13.24: Band and Choir Concert w Mesa Verde HS, 6PM @ Mesa Verde PC

12.20.24: Early Dismissal 11:14

12.23.24-1.6.25: Winter Break

1.6.25: End of 2nd Quarter

LiveSchool is a school wide point system that is tied to our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system that allows all Sylvan staff to give and take away points based on student behaviors and expectations. Students can redeem points for prizes during lunch from the Cougar Den, as well as earn weekly prizes for top earners that occur in random drawings by class and period. On the flip side, having a large number of negative points can place a student on a Behavior Contract and/or prohibit them from attending school functions like dances or skate nights. To the right are the areas that Sylvan is focusing on to build a strong positive school culture.

Students are also randomly placed into four Houses: Owls, Lions, Dragons, and Bears. Student points are combined into their Houses to earn House events like the Epic Challenge, which was earned by the Owls during the first quarter. Students also receive weekly prizes by Admin that are determined by LiveSchool points. At the end of the 2nd quarter, the student with the highest LiveSchool points will receive a HoverBoard!

Each Thursday, every parent/guardian receives a weekly recap of your student’s behavior in all classes. You can see what points were given and lost during the current week and shows you by which teacher. Our use of LiveSchool is to share behavior feedback and promote a positive school culture here at Sylvan. We hope that you reflect on your student’s weekly recap. Recap emails provide more details and insight into your child’s behaviors during the school day. Our school’s focus is on promoting positive behaviors, but you may also see some behaviors recorded for your child that required redirection from their teacher. Please know that recording this behavior is normal and the data is helpful as we work to provide the best educational experience for your child.

I would sit down and review this weekly information with your student. I would also use this information to help you determine whether you need to reach out to any of your student's teachers. Communication is key. Schools should be a place where every student tries their best, gets engaging feedback, and enjoys unforgettable rewards and celebrations, and we are using LiveSchool to do just that.

With Mrs. Schuermann leaving Sylvan Middle School, Mrs. Smith will be taking her place beginning Monday, December 2nd. She comes to us from Pasteur Middle School. She will be outside in the morning - Come by to introduce yourself and say hi!

• We need volunteers!
• During lunch
• 30 to 90 minutes of your day
• You name the days you can come in and help create a safe and calm lunchtime experience
• Stop into the office to find out more about the volunteer process.
• Please contact the Sylvan front office at (916) 971-7873

Yearbooks on Sale $25 and are available for purchase at the Front Office.

You can also purchase these online at :

buytheyearbook.com

School Code: 725149

Sylvan is proud to offer our Academic Resource Center (ARC) to assist students everyday after school. Some of the services available are: retaking tests, completing homework, use of Chromebooks, readily available project supplies, tutoring, and more. The ARC is open five days a week and it is FREE. Please let your student know they have a place for more assistance if needed with four adults waiting to help.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday - 2:40-3:30

Thursday - 1:20-2:30

Math Block is an embedded support time that we use to provide targeted assistance in Math for our students. Math Block occurs everyday except for Thursday and each cycle is 5 weeks long. The Math Block is scheduled after 3rd period, but the class itself rotates, so that students will have an opportunity to be with each of their scheduled teachers for a Math Block rotation.The rotation seems confusing at first, but the students get the hang of it quickly and we have staff members out during passing period, helping to remind them where they go as well as announcements over the intercom and on our school news. This next Math Block class is your child’s 3rd period teacher and will start on November 4th. This second Math Block will run until December 18th.

The schedule is as follows:

1st period

2nd period

3rd period

Math Block (with 3rd period teacher)

1st lunch/4th period

4th period/2nd lunch

5th period

6th period