
SMS Owls
September 2023
From The Desk of The Principal
The new school year is finally off and running. We are in the second week of the 2023-2024 school year and amazing things are happening at SMS! We started with Meet The Teacher Night and have now begun Fall Athletic Contests. The academic process has begun and each student is settling into their routine for how they learn best. If you ever are in need of assistance for your student, or are needing to contact your child's teacher, please feel free to contact the office and we will get you in touch with the right person.
Also, if your student is home sick or needs to be absent for any reason, please contact Shauntina in the MS Office for us to get that recorded for the day.
At Spokane Middle School, we are committed to providing the type of learning where we serve our students with the best education. This is done by...
1. Providing an excellent, knowledgeable, and understanding staff
2. Working with parents to educate the whole child
3. Implementing developmental appropriate educational programs
4. Fostering the development of meaningful learning relationships with every single student
Please look through this month's newsletter for highlights to the start of the school year and for upcoming events throughout September. As always, It's A Great Day To Be An Owl!
Dr. Joel Carey
This year, SMS will be implementing a new program called AAA. It stands for Attendance, Attitude (behavior), and Achievement (grades). Students who achieve 95% attendance each quarter, have no discipline referrals, and all passing grades, will be eligible for quarterly incentives, as well as an end of the year activity. More specifics about the rewards will come out as we get closer to the end of each quarter.
NWEA Testing is what we utilize for the initial benchmark testing at SMS. These assessments help us gauge where students are and to measure growth from previous years. The NWEA tends to give us a better measure than a one time assessment as we give them three times (Pre, Progress & Post) a year. Below is an example of what a growth sheet looks like for a student. Results are instantaneous. Teachers use these results to help students set personal goals and conference with students about their academic progress through the year. These results will be used to also guide discussion at conferences this fall. Teachers are already compiling artifacts your students have produced to show you how much your child has learned this year and the growth they are showing from last year to now. NWEA tests will begin taking place next week.
School Picture Day
Picture Day Is: Friday, September 8, 2023
Wagner Portrait Group will be photographing students for portrait packages & school records.
ONLY ONLINE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
(Please do not bring checks, cash, or order forms to school as they will no longer be accepted.)
CLICK THIS LINK TO ORDER:
https://bit.ly/3P6TGqm
Online Pre-Order Password: 6A5Q2V4Y
Can’t order online or have other questions? Wagner is happy to help! 314-567-5900
Clubs and Activities
Different clubs and activities have begun to meet before and after school. Groups such as Agronomy Club, Aevidum, ASL Club and FCA as well as Choir Leadership have taken shape with numerous participants. We encourage every child to get involved and be a part of our school community. I know this can be difficult for some due to the anxiety of groups or crowds. I encourage each of us to extend our boundaries and become a part of something great. I have never met a person who said they were involved in too much when they were in school. However, I have ran into many who have said they wished they would have been more involved while in school. Think about this quote by William Shedo, "A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." If we don't have a club or group with something you are interested in doing, please ask and we will see what we can do to find the right sponsor and get one going.
Spokane Middle School Student Leadership Team (STUCO)
Middle School Fall Athletics Schedule
Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures (Reminder)
Use the following maps for drop off and pickup procedures. Enter in the south entrance. If you are picking up or dropping off your student, please follow the procedures. Do NOT pull in to park and drop your child. This puts your child in extra danger to walk across in front of traffic.
For Afternoon pick-up, all traffic will be diverted to the south. This is to assist in the safety of students and the ability to safely have our buses enter Spokane Road when they are dismissed.
Pick Up
Drop Off
Teacher Professional Development
- Collaborative teams
- Data-based Decision Making
- Common Formative Assessments
- Developing Assessment Capable Learners
- Metacognition
- School Based Implementation Coaching
- Collective Teacher Efficacy
- Leadership
All of these put together help our teachers and leaders be the best each day for your students. Thank you for allowing us to spend each day with them. In return, we promise to grow alongside your student to help them be lifelong learners, as well.
Did You Know....
....we have a You Tube channel (linked above)? This channel is being utilized for livestreaming events held in the gyms at both the High School and Middle School. If there are ballgames or events occurring in these gyms and you cannot make it, these events will be livestreamed and archived for FREE at this channel for future use. Thank you to everyone from Ron Kessler , Monta Call, Jeremiah Wicklein and Roger Ward for getting the HUDL cameras up and running.
Counselor's Corner
One student organization which will be more active this year is Aevidum. This group meets after school for activities and to have a network of peers to help each other through school. Aevidum literally means "I've got your back". At SMS, we have each other's backs. In the next couple of weeks, we will have a pledge and membership drive. On October 6th, we will have an Aevidum night at a home middle school basketball game. Before the game, students will have time for organized activities and a speaker. The game will be a time to cheer on their peers and enjoy fellowship while celebrating being a Spokane Owl. If you want to know more, the link to the Aevidum website is below.
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
Technology Insurance
If you haven't already purchased technology insurance for your student's chrome book, we would encourage you to look into it. We have already had numerous students have mishaps with their chrome books such as a cracked screen or broken touch pad. But, due to them purchasing tech insurance, the first purchase of those replacement parts were of no cost to the parents. The form to purchase is below. Fill it out and send completed form with money to the middle school office.
Upcoming Events
Sept. 8th: Picture Day
Sept. 22nd: Mid Quarter Grades Due
Sept. 26th: Mid Quarter Grades Emailed
Sept. 27th: FCA See You At The Pole
Oct. 6th: Aevidum Night At MS Basketball Game
Mrs. Shauntina Aston, Admin. Ass't. to the Principal
Mrs. Sarah Griffith, Counselor