SMS Weekly Update

We hope you had a fun and safe holiday break! This week at SMS, enthusiasm filled the air as students were joyfully welcomed back into the building. We have been eager to resume our routines and embark on a new chapter of learning and growth together. Welcome back, everyone!

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)

January 8

• PSO Meeting - 1:00 pm, Community Room

January 9

• OMEA Preview Concert - 7:00 pm, SHS Auditorium (see more details below)

January 10

• Early Release - Dismissal at 2:26 pm

January 11

• Site Council, 7:35 am - 8:40 am, Community Room

January 11 - 14

• All-State Band and Choir Conferences (selected auditioned participants)

January 12

• OMEA Conference, Advanced Band - 10:15 am, Hult Center in Eugene, Oregon

January 15

• Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

January 17

• Early Release - Dismissal at 2:26 pm

January 24

• Early Release - Dismissal at 2:26 pm

January 31

• Early Release - Dismissal at 2:26 pm

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

The Advanced Band is in their final stages of preparing for their Oregon Music Educators Association Conference performance. The performance will be at 10:15am on Friday, January 12th at the Hult Center in Eugene, Oregon. The students have gone through a long process of auditioning, being selected, and preparing a concert set that will represent Sherwood on the state stage at the annual OMEA conference. The students are very excited to perform and are excited to play on that prestigious stage. Very few middle schools get to do this opportunity. It's a once-in-a-lifetime event for them.

Seeing as our performance time happens during the day on Friday, we would like to invite you to our OMEA Preview Concert held on Tuesday, January 9th at the Sherwood High School Auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 and the performance starts at 7pm. All friends, family, and community members are welcome. This is another preparatory performance to help us feel comfortable with our music, but it is also another opportunity for our local community to see our concert before we take it down to Eugene. The concert should last about 30 minutes. We hope you'll join us.

Please help me congratulate the Advanced Band on their great work. I know they will represent us well in Eugene!

Is your student interested have a passion for being on stage? Voices for the Performing Arts will be holding auditions on January 9 for students in grades 4-8 to participate in an upcoming play.

To audition:

1. Complete this registration form by Monday, January 8.

2. Prepare a monologue that is approximately one-minute long. It’s okay if it’s a little shorter. But do your best to find one that is around one-minute. If you are not sure how to get a monologue, you can find monologues for kids here and here.

3. Your monologue should be memorized if possible. During your audition, we will be looking for Stage Presence (comfortable and confident onstage), Voice (volume, diction, tone, pitch), and Character (telling the story).

4. Please sign up for an audition time slot here.

Schedule of Participation:

• Auditions will be held January 9, 3:45-5:45pm at the Sherwood Middle School Auditorium.

• Callbacks will be held January 11, 3:45-5:45pm at the Sherwood Middle School Auditorium.

• Rehearsals and Production Week - January 16-March 2 - Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays 3:45-5:45pm

At the January 11 callbacks students will be given small sections of the script to read together. Students will be notified if they need to attend the callbacks -- please note that while not all students will be called back, everyone who auditions gets a role! Monologues and callbacks will be used to determine who is the best fit for each character.

For more information about the Voices for the Performing Arts Foundation and their performances, please visit https://vpafoundation.org

The inaugural Oregon Civics Bee encourages young Oregonians to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Middle school students with an idea about using civics to solve a problem in their community are invited to participate in the first round of the contest by submitting an essay.

Judges will select 20 finalists from their essay submissions to participate in the Civics Bee event on May 30, 2024 at Willamette University in Salem. The winner of the Oregon Civics Bee will be invited to participate in the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. in fall 2024.

For more information and contest entry, please visit the link below. All essay entries are due by January 22, 2024.

We are excited to share an update regarding Flex Time. As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering academic success, we will be extending Flex Time opportunities for the remainder of the school year. Beginning in January, students will have the chance to attend Flex Time twice a month on Wednesdays. This expansion provides an even greater opportunity for our students to engage in personalized learning experiences and receive the support they need.

What happens during Flex Time?

Flex Time is a dedicated block of time in our schedule designed for students and teachers to meet for a specific need.

During Flex Time, students can:

1. Get Additional Academic Support:
   Whether they need clarification on a challenging topic or want to reinforce their understanding, Flex Time provides an environment for academic support. Teachers may utilize this time to assign students to a Flex to ensure that they are getting the additional time and targeted support in areas of need.
2. Attend Academic Extensions:
   For those eager to explore subjects in greater depth, Flex TIme offers academic extensions, providing students with the chance to delve into advanced topics and expand their knowledge.
3. Participate in Clubs:
   Flex Time provides a platform for students to engage in extracurricular activities through club participation. These clubs are diverse, catering to a range of interests and provide opportunities for students to connect and share passions.
4. Experience Enrichments:
   Beyond the standard curriculum, Flex Time features enriching activities that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and exploration.

How Can Your Child Make the Most of Flex Time?

• Student autonomy: encourage your child to take an active role in their education by choosing sessions that align with their needs and interests.

• Discuss with your child how they can utilize these opportunities for academic growth and enrichment.

We believe that Flex Time serves as a valuable resource for our students, promoting not only academic success but also fostering a sense of responsibility and independence in their learning journey.

We are still accepting interest and applications for our 8th grade Washington DC trip this June. Please email SMSgoeseast@gmail.com for more information.

It's that time of the year again for our annual County required Immunization Review. Monthly reminder letters are now be mailed out to families whose students are missing immunizations. Please see the information below for more details on important dates from the County. If you have any questions please reach out to our Registrar, Allison Kopp, at akopp@sherwood.k12.or.us or 503-825-5520.

2/7/24 Exclusion letters from the state will be mailed to students who are still out of compliance.

2/21/24 Exclusion Day - All students out of compliance are not able to attend school until their required Immunizations are up to date or the exemptions have been completed.

Medical and nonmedical exemptions are also allowed.

• To request a medical exemption from vaccine requirements, submit a signed statement from your child's physician.
• To request a nonmedical exemption from vaccine requirements, you must do one of the following: (1) Talk to your healthcare provider and get a signed Vaccine Education Certificate, fill out the nonmedical exemption section of the Certificate of Immunization Status, and turn in both forms to your child's school; or (2) Watch the Vaccine Education Module for parents at: https://www.oregon.gov/OHA/PH/PreventionWellness/VaccinesImmunization/GettingImmunized/Pages/non-medical-exemption.aspx and print out the Vaccine Education Certificate at the end of the module, fill out the nonmedical exemption section of the Certificate of Immunization Status, and turn in both forms to your child's school.