Good afternoon SMS Families,
We had a great week, finishing up our Fall MAP Assessments. These tests help us understand better how to meet each one of our student's needs, and gives us a baseline for the year. We do not and will not obsess over test scores as many schools do. It is a tool, that is used to help our teachers help our students. Having said that, our students particularly by the time they graduate have traditionally done very well on these tests. I do not ever want to see our students being super stressed out by testing, and I assure you, they will not get that messaging here.
I received some feedback this week regarding communication, and I want to make sure everyone knows where to find information, as the collaboration between parents and the school is the key to success for our students.
First- I will send out a newsletter like this every week. It will have information about things that happened at school this week, and things that are coming up in the following weeks. Newsletters are not usually grade specific. They are about news that pertains to the whole school. This will be posted on our website under "News", and will be shared with you via, text, email, and on our private Facebook Families page.
Second- Our website itself and app (which can be found in the app store) always has school events, what's for lunch, and other school info.
Third- OptionC is our SIS (School Information System) There, you can find your eforms, permission slips, account balances and grades. If you ever need help logging in, or need your password to be reset, just let us know. We will be happy to help.
Fourth- For messaging that is somewhat urgent, we will send a text, either to all parents, or just to specific classes. Please make sure you do not "opt out" of these messages. Most of the time when people are not receiving messages, they might have accidentally opted out, or maybe changed their number and didn't tell us. Either way, if you are not receiving those messages, please contact us, and we will investigate. I can see who does and who does not receive the messages.
Fifth- Individual classrooms, particularly in younger grades might use apps like Class Dojo to communicate with parents about specific class news, and some might have a class newsletter, again about specific class news, and might reiterate things that I have put out in the newsletter. These types of communications, come directly from the teacher. If you are not sure about this, or think you are missing something, please contact your child's teacher.
Communication is incredibly important, and we understand how important it is for our parents to be on the same page with us, knowing what is happening at SMS!
Creek Day was Wednesday this week. Grades 4-8 put on their old clothes and explored Eagle Creek for signs of life. This was the first time we have done this in the Fall, so it was a great opportunity to compare the condition of the creek in the Fall with the conditions in the Spring. This is real science in our own community, and the kids love it, hopefully building a love and appreciation for science! Special thanks to our teachers Mr. Hyde for organizing everything and Mrs. Ashton, Mrs Evers, and Ms. Cox for helping too. Thanks to Mr. Burke and Mr. Colins for donating their time to help our students understand the things they were looking at, and thanks to the Ripley Life Squad for being on site all day to ensure safety!
Most of you know that our students in grades 3-8 have had Spanish classes twice per week this year, and will continue to do so throughout the year. Please read the following from Mrs. Andrea Curry, our Spanish teacher!
Reminder, this is a short week, with 12:30 dismissal and Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday. Georgetown and SMS buses will run that afternoon, on the early dismissal, the Ripley bus will not. If you would still like to sign up for conferences, see the links below. Conferences are 10 minutes each, so all parents have an opportunity to meet with our teachers. This is a great way for our teachers and parents to work together to benefit our students, and we look forward to meeting with you!
There is no school on Friday, September 25, and we are out the following week for the Brown County Fair. We will return Monday, October 5. Good luck to all who have projects at the Fair, and safe travels to all who are travelling Fair Week!
Looking ahead:
Oct 6- Picture Day (In Uniform)
Oct 9- SMS Pet Blessing
Oct 13- PreK and K to R Farms
Oct 14- 1st and 2nd Grade to R Farms
Oct 30- SMS Halloween Party
Have a great weekend!