SPARTAN SCOOP

• MATHIA Marathon
• Student Council Sponsoring Logan Center Fundraiser
• ISSMA Choir Celebrations
• February IMC Highlight: Blind Date with a Book
• PTO March Newsletter
• Kindness Club: St. Jude Fundraiser Results
• Continued Focus on Indiana Academic Standards + Letter from Dr. Jenner
• Hiring Events
• Information from Previous SMORES

The All-School Schmucker MATHia Marathon began on March 1st! Students will be completing I-Learn workspaces on MATHia to earn tickets for a prize drawing each week. There will be a gift card winner drawn from each grade every week through April 14. Any student completing at least 70 of the workspaces will be entered in a drawing to win a NINTENDO SWITCH!! Thank you to our awesome PTO for donating the prizes for this event!! This school-wide incentive program is intended to motivate students and build confidence as we enter into our testing season. As always, students will have the opportunity to work on MATHia during Advisory several days of the week, but they will also be encouraged to complete workspaces at home. Please encourage your child to spend some time at home completing these review workspaces!

Starting on March 13th, Schmucker's student council will be raising money for the Logan Center in South Bend. This Fundraiser will take place from March 13th-March 17th during each grade's lunch. Student Council will be selling St. Patrick's day necklaces and stress release toys with all proceeds being donated to the Logan's Center. Please consider donating to the Logan's Center from Monday, March 13th through Friday March 17th. Thank you for your support!

The SMS 7th and 8th grade choirs had 5 soloists participate in ISSMA Solo and Ensemble Contest for Vocal and Piano on Saturday, January 28, 2023. Adele Ciao-Carnes, Bella Cramer and Avery Olsen received gold medals for their performance. Natalia Kelman and Joselynn Heavner received silver medals for their performance. Congratulations on a job very well done!

“Blind Date with a Book” was in full swing in the SMS IMC during February! We had 55 students signed up for the February grab bag program, and each book was recommended by a SMS staff member. Students picked a wrapped book, based on a one sentence summary and it was really fun to offer this experience! Book Grab Bags are offered every month to students. Each month a new “theme” is offered to help students read outside their comfort zone and foster a fun reading experience. Please ask your student what the theme is for March!

The Kindness Club rallied the school community together to donate money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as part of a fundraiser with local radio station B100. Students and staff stepped up in a big way and raised just over $1,500. Four advisory classes raised over $100 each!

B100 is hosting a pizza party for the advisory class that raised the most money -- Miss Adams' advisory with $226.41. Because participation was so great, the SMS PTO decided to pitch in as well with donuts for Ms. Weaver-Watson's advisory class, which raised the next highest amount with $177.30.

We are so proud of the kindness and generosity shown around the school to make a difference for families with significant medical needs.

Knowing there is dialog around the state about the Indiana Academic Standards, we continue to follow the direction of the Indiana Department of Education and Dr. Jenner as provided in this letter. If you have any concerns about your child's education, please work with your child's teacher for clarification or reach out to me at anytime!

Just a friendly reminder that students should not have their cell phones on them during the school day. Cell phones should be off and in your student's locker. Should your student need to get a hold of you during the school day, we have a phone students can use in the main office. Please see our Code of Conduct verbiage covering this item. We appreciate your help and support in maintaining student focus on academics and minimizing outside distractions.

22. Possession of electronic equipment and cell phones; the school supplies most electronic equipment necessary in school. While students may possess cell phones and electronic devices on school property, students are prohibited from turning on their personal devices or allowing them to be visible during the school day without permission of a staff member

As the weather quickly shifts from fall to winter, the school district is happy to pilot free fitness opportunities for the P-H-M community. This will take place four (4) days per week at the sites listed below.

Who is eligible to participate: The P-H-M Adult Community and Staff (no students). This includes residents of the school district and non-resident parents/guardians of attending students.

What: Access to walking/jogging tracks, open gym/basketball courts, and weight room.

When: Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at the sites listed below. Note: The fitness centers will be closed during designated school recess dates.

Weekly Schedule:

Questions? Please see the assigned staff at each site to help answer your questions.

Click here to order a yearbook. You can also share your photos here, enter schumucker for the school code.

The state has provided COVID home tests free of charge for students. Limit 1 kit (2 tests) per student. Interested parents/guardians should pick them up from the office while supplies last.

PTO Members & Volunteers:

Please see the PTO Newsletter for the month of February.

Educational Assistant: If you or someone you know has a passion for helping students succeed and feel yourself to be a life-long learner, problem solver and collaborative team member, then this is the position for you! Please reach out to me (KMartin3@phm.k12.in.us) if you would like to talk about the details regarding this position.

Universal Substitute: If you or someone you know loves being in the classroom, and collaborating with teachers and students, then please reach out with interest or questions to me at (KMartin3@phm.k12.in.us). The daily rate for this position is $115 and there is flexibility within the schedule.

Click the button below for more information.

Parents,

Families have the option of receiving weekly emails outlining your students online activity while using Chromebooks. This online service is free and it gives parents an opportunity to maintain a safe learning environment at school and at home. Please click on the attached links to learn more about how Securly can help you.

• Click to read and download a copy of the parent letter that provides step-by-step instructions on how to set up your Securly Parent Portal.

If you see something, hear something, say something! The Safe School Helpline is a convenient, confidential way for anyone to report information about situations that might affect safety at any P-H-M school or building. You can call the number any time of the day or night to report concerns about unsafe or potentially disruptive activities or situations including drug or alcohol abuse, weapons, harassment, bullying or threats. All calls are completely confidential.

• 800-418-6423 (800-4-1-VOICE, ext. 359)

• TEXT: 66746, TIPS

• www.safeschoolhelpline.com

• Chromebooks- Lee Riley (lriley@phm.k12.in.us )

• Attendance- Linda Brown (lbrown2@phm.k12.in.us)

• Textbooks and Fees- Ashley Kirkpatrick (akirkpatrick@phm.k12.in.us)

• Special Education Teachers

• 6th grade- Courtney Heck (check@phm.k12.in.us )

• 7th grade- Meaghan Donahue (mdonahue@phm.k12.in.us )

• 8th grade- Allie Chrise (achrise2@phm.k12.in.us )

• Multiple Grades-

• School Counselors

• Jenny Shaw (Last Names A-G) (jshaw@phm.k12.in.us)

• Cara Watt (Last Names H-N) (cwatt@phm.k12.in.us)

• Andrea Hoover (Last Names O-Z) (ahoover@phm.k12.in.us )

• Athletics- Jim Modlin (jmodlin@phm.k12.in.us )

• Enrollments/Withdrawals/Address Changes- Aly Abel (aabel@phm.k12.in.us)

• PTO- (schmuckerpto@phm.k12.in.us)

Email: kmartin3@phm.k12.in.us
Website: http://schmucker.phmschools.org/
Location: Schmucker Middle School, Bittersweet Road, Mishawaka, IN, United States
Phone: 574-259-5661
Twitter: @SMSSpartanPride