SMS Weekly Update

There are so many fun activities happening at SMS this fall! Here are just a couple examples, with pictures below:

Our SMS Civics class had their first guest speaker opportunity with Oregon Congresswoman, Andrea Salinas. It was so much fun to watch our Civics students engage in thoughtful conversation around issues that are concerning them and the goals they hope Congress will accomplish.

In another frame of study, smiles and knowledge have come from multiple trips to Stella Olson for hands-on experiences with pond biomes and in casting various styles of fishing rods. It's been amazing to see the engagement and connections the students in our Outdoor Pursuits classes have been able to make during this unit!

While students in Outdoor Pursuits classes have been honing some fishing techniques, students in Kimberly Graham's FACS classes have been refining their culinary skills and learning how to make some tasty treats. Measuring dry ingredients, practicing knife safety, cleaning as you go, are just a few of the practical lessons taught. Of course, sampling their creations is a bonus for students in this class!

Also, linked below is a video featuring the first finished dance routine of the year. Our Dance class has been working hard on this, please check it out!

October 13

• NO SCHOOL - Statewide Inservice Day

October 16 - 20

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

October 17

• PSO's "Monster Dash" Run (during PE classes) - Parents are encouraged to come watch as well as volunteer

October 18

• Early Release, Dismissal at 2:26 pm

• School Board Meeting, 7:00pm - 9:00pm, District Office

October 19

• Builders Club Meeting, 3:30pm - 4:30pm, in room W27 (see more information below)

October 20

• Picture Retakes
• 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 (ID Required)

October 25

• Early Release, Dismissal at 2:26 pm

October 26

• Conferences, 4:45pm - 8:00pm, Gym and Commons

October 27

• Conferences, 8:00am - 12:00pm, Gym and Commons

November 1

• Half Day for Students, Dismissal at 11:30 pm

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)

Cold and flu season is here and we are already out of supplies! If you are able to donate, please bring disinfecting wipes and facial tissues to the front office. Thank you!

The Monster Dash is coming up on October 17th. Students will participate in a seasonal obstacle course during P.E. or Health. Each student received an envelope last Friday to collect sponsorships, but you can also create a Pledgestar account by scanning the QR code below to easily get started today. All funds collected directly go towards building resources for Sherwood Middle School students, teachers and staff.

There are still opportunities to volunteer for the Monster Dash. We need parents for the 7th Grade run on October 17th from 10:30am to 12:30pm. You don't even need to be a 7th Grade Parent to volunteer for the last three volunteer opportunities! Click the link below to sign up today. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the most up-to-date information about this event.

Monster Dash Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0449AFAA23A6FB6-44801228-themonster

The annual Great Oregon ShakeOut is part of an international safety preparedness program, where millions of people worldwide participate in earthquake drills on the same day. This year’s earthquake drills will be held on October 19, and for all of Oregon will be held at 10:19am. All schools and district facilities will participate in this annual drill, and this is the first of two earthquake drills that will be practiced by our locations this year.

For more information on the Great Oregon Shakeout, please visit https://www.shakeout.org/oregon/.

Sherwood Middle School is partnering with Kiwanis to bring a Builders Club to our school. The Builders Club is a casual, friendly place for middle school students to gain leadership experience and engage in volunteer opportunities throughout our local and global community. Participants will also have the opportunity to be part of an international volunteer organization that continues into high school and beyond.

If your student is interested in helping, "build a better future", there are two ways they can participate. They can sign up to attend an activity during Choice Flex. We will also meet after school on the 1st and Third Thursday of the month from 3:30-4:30 in room W27. There will be an activity bus.

Students staying after school must complete the linked Builders Club permission form.

Our next meeting is Oct. 19. There will be an activity bus. Anyone is invited to attend.

Picture retakes will take place on October 20th.

Did you miss picture day or want to take a new picture?

Retake day is quickly approaching. If we did not see you on picture day or you would like a new image, Dorian Studio will be taking pictures at your school again soon. Do not miss out on ordering pictures of your student.

Orders may be placed online by searching for your school name at mydorian.com and selecting the green Order button next to your school retake day event. Online orders are available up to 4 days after retake day. If you already ordered and want a new picture taken please be sure to return your original picture packet to the photographer on retake day.

Join us for Freaky Friday on October 20th at 5pm to 8pm for an evening of food, games and prizes. Get excited because this year our PSO has added a new Haunted Maze!

There is also an SMS Student ONLY Dance that same evening from 8pm to 9:30pm. Important Reminder: Students must show their I.D. or StudentVue to enter (no exceptions) along with their dance ticket.

We are looking for Volunteers for Freaky Friday. Please click the link below to help make Freaky Friday a success!

Pre-Sale Tickets will be available all next week during lunch in the Student Store. Students may bring cash, check, Venmo, Apple Pay or Debit Card to process payment. Tickets will also be for sale through Venmo (student name and grade required in transaction details) with bracelet pick up at the Freaky Friday - see QR code below to process that today!

Please follow us on Facebook or Instagram for daily information on this event!

Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0449AFAA23A6FB6-44937312-freaky

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.

As part of our ongoing effort to increase communication between schools and families surrounding literacy, families will now begin to receive a weekly message sharing a list of what your student checked out. This message will come out every Thursday at 4pm.

At this time we are only able to send the email to the student and the first parent/guardian listed in Synergy. We’re working with our partners include the first four parents/guardians in Synergy. Thank you for your ongoing partnership!

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.

Next week is National School Bus Safety Week! Our district’s Transportation Services Department prides themselves on their consistent focus on safety, which includes:

• Safety systems and upgrades on our fleet of school buses

• Ongoing training for bus drivers -- not only on safe driving practices, but also on safety topics such as first aid and CPR!

• Annual school bus evacuation drills for all district students, ensuring that even those students who may only ride buses occasionally (such as for field trips) are also aware of bus safety procedures

In honor of this week, students are invited to participate in the annual National School Bus Safety Poster Contest hosted by the National Association for Pupil Transportation. For more information and contest rules, please visit https://www.napt.org/postercontest. For more information about our Transportation Services, please visit https://sherwood.k12.or.us/departments/transportation/.