SMS Weekly Update

As we continue kicking off our school year we are engaging in a number of drills and activities to help keep our students safe. Last week we held our first Fire Drill, and this week we partnered with the district transportation department to lead our students through an annual Bus Evacuation Drill. A big shout out to our district transportation team for helping our students stay safe on the way to and from school!

We would also like to extend a thank you to the King City Senior Village, who ran a supply drive for us this week to help provide school supplies for our students. We appreciate their partnership and support!

Please see the photos below.

September 27

• Early Release, Dismissal at 2:26 pm
• Choice Flex

• Student Services Parent Partnership Meeting, 7:00pm-8:30pm: District Office Conference Rm D

September 27

• Site Council, 7:45am - 8:30am,: SMS Community Room

October 10

• PSO Pledge Drive Begins (see the Freaky Friday Flyer below)

October 4

• Early Release, Dismissal at 2:26 pm

October 11

• Early Release, Dismissal at 2:26 pm

October 13

• Statewide Inservice - NO SCHOOL

October 16 - 20

• Freaky Friday Ticket Sales (at lunches, during school)

October 17

• PSO's "Monster Dash" Run (during PE classes)

October 18

• Early Release, Dismissal at 2:26 pm

October 20

• PSO Pledge Envelopes Due
• Freaky Friday Family Event, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm, at the SMS Activities Entrance
• Freaky Friday Student Dance, 8:00pm - 9:30 pm, re-entry at the Activities Entrance

Additional events may be viewed on the SMS Calendar and the District Calendar.

Front Office Hours: 7:30 am - 3:45pm

Student Hours: 8:45 am - 3:26 pm (Except on scheduled Early Release days)

Doors Open to Students: 8:30 am (Main Entrance and Activities Entrance)

Wednesdays: 2:26 pm Dismissal

The District holds one-hour Early Release days each Wednesday. Please refer to the 2023-2024 District Calendar for the scheduled Early Release days. Dismissal for those days will be at 2:26 pm.

Why Attendance Matters

The Impacts of Attendance:

• Chronic absence has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic, from 8 million to an estimated 16 million students nationwide. That’s one out of three students.

• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.

• By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.

• Missing 2 days of school a month results in missing approximately 10% of the school year.

• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful, and on track to graduate.

Being part of the school community: Being present means your child is learning how to be a good citizen by participating in the school community, learning valuable social skills, and developing a broader world view.

What Can You Do?

• Make school attendance a priority.

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.

• Help your student maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.

• If your student must stay home because they are sick make sure they check Canvas for any assignments, and email their teacher for clarification on assignments.

Helping Your Student Stay Engaged

• Does your student feel interested and/or challenged by their classes?

• Is your student missing classes because of challenges with behavioral issues or school policies?

• How is your student doing academically? Are they invested in their learning?

• Does the teacher have updated contact information for you?

• Are you able to check Canvas and access ParentVue?

• Are you aware of who your student is engaging with online, or what sites they are visiting?

• Does your student have outside activities that they feel successful in?

How to Report an Absence

Send a Note with Your Student:

This acts as their pass out of class and ensures that they know when to be in the main office to wait for pickup.

Call The Attendance Line:
(503) 825-5510

Email: SherwoodMiddle_Notification@sherwood.k12.or.us

Is your student looking for a way to connect with others and to be in service to our community?

We are excited to partner with students at Sherwood High School to form a Builders Club here at SMS. This student-led club was originally developed by and modeled after Kiwanis International, a global network of men and women serving the children of the world. Participants will have a variety of extracurricular opportunities throughout the school year to develop leadership through service to the school and the community. Interested students will have the opportunity to participate in leadership and service activities during their monthly Choice Flex classes. We will also be hosting after school activities on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. There will be an Activity Bus.

If this sounds like a good fit for your student, please encourage them to sign up for our first Choice Flex class, September 27. Sign ups will happen at school, the week before. We are so excited to work alongside our students to help, "build a better future."

Join us for Family Fun with food, raffle and an all new Haunted Maze!!! The event is Friday, October 20 from 5pm to 8pm. Students will come home with envelopes for the Monster Dash and we need lots of volunteers to help us pull this event off (more information to come soon).

We would like to remind our families that carryover Meal Program Eligibility from School Year 2022-2023 will expire on October 12th.

Please note that if your students' eligibility expires and we do not receive a new application, meals will be charged at the paid rate beginning on October 12th.

If you would like to confirm your eligibility for meals at no cost for School Year 2023-2024, please contact nutrition@sherwood.k12.or.us.

The current Meal Application for School Year 2023-2024 can be found here

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Yearbooks can be ordered on treering.com. Please include your students flight time teacher when ordering (that ensures they get their own book.) If you have ordered a yearbook in the past few years from any elementary in Sherwood you should already have an account. You have the opportunity to personalize pages for your student throughout the year and share photos from sporting events etc. with the yearbook team. You can do this via the app on your phone or the website. There are photo folders for various categories. The SMS school code can be found on the flyer in the newsletter and on the FB PSO site as well as flyers coming home soon. If you are feeling generous you can donate a book when you check out. The school counselors will ensure it goes to someone in need.

Order by October 31st for 10% off.

Directory information means those items of personally identifiable information contained in a student education record which is not generally considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released.

Under Sherwood School District 88J Policy JOA, directory information shall be released only with administrative direction and directory information considered by the district to be detrimental will not be released. Sherwood school district has parents update this information three times during a student's time in SSD. Once when entering Kindergarten, once when entering 6th grade, and once when entering 9th grade. Of course a parent can change or modify their wishes any time with the school.

All students and families have the opportunity to opt out of Directory Information and to not allow their information to be released. Please complete this Opt-Out form if you do NOT approve the release of your child’s directory information. Student directory information will be released with the absence of this Opt-Out form.

Don't forget to RSVP for the September 27 Student Services Parent Partnership meeting, starting at 7:00pm at the District Office. Contact 503-825-5035 or atheimann@sherwood.k12.or.us if you will be attending.

Don't miss this year's Homecoming Parade on September 29, 4:00-5:00pm. See map below for this year's parade route.

The Sherwood Athletic Booster Club will be hosting their Annual Auction live this year at the Sherwood Center for the Arts on the evening of October 14th. Doors open at 5:30, dinner and program start at 7:00pm. Tickets to the event include dinner, hosted beverages, games and live auction. Buy your tickets now at sherwoodboosterclub.com.

The Sherwood City Library is now offering digital literacy classes, hosted at our very own SHARE Center!

Wednesdays, October 4 - November 8, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Free dinner at 5:30 p.m.)

These in-person computer workshops are offered in English and Spanish at the SHARE Center (21920 SW Sherwood Blvd). Learn about computer basics, email, cybersecurity, video conferencing, and more. Child care provided. Prizes for participants! Classes made possible by an incentive from the Public Library Association and AT&T. Registration is required. For more information, please scan the QR code or see flyer below.