Saline Middle School Highlights for Sunday, September 6, 2020

 Principal's Message:

It was a busy week as staff prepared for our first day of school on Tuesday, September 8th and the 2020-21 school year.  We appreciate your grace, kindness and patience as we begin to navigate an unprecedented start to a school year.  

If you did not receive your child's schedule, please check Powerschool.  If you haven't received a Zoom link or Google Classroom/Summit invitation or other another manner in which to connect with your child's teacher, please reach out to your child's teacher.  (If your 7th grade child has "Temp" listed for English 7, that link will come either Monday evening or early Tuesday morning as you will read below.)

Finally, we would like to welcome Ms. Bianca Collins who will teach 7th Grade English.  Ms. Collins comes to us from the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.  She is very familiar with Saline Middle School as she student taught with Ms. Nazareth.  Welcome to SMS!  Also, we would like to formally welcome Ms. Renner, our front office secretary!  She has done an outstanding job already in her first week! 

Important/New Information:

1.  The first day of school is Tuesday, September 8, 2020.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone remotely.  If you have not received directions on how to log on remotely from your teachers yet, please let us know!  Click here for the schedule.  Looking for a place to put all of your links?  ALL sixth graders will attend their homeroom first on the first day of school.  Try this digital organizer developed by 8th grade teacher Sam Weiner.

2.  Connected Learning Plan:  Here is the Connected Learning Plan that was referenced in Mr. Graden's email on Friday.  The sample schedule listed in the Connected Learning Plan is up-to-date for the Middle School.  We will be sending a separate email communication soon.

3.  Need tech help?  The SAS Tech Department is here to help!  Fill this form out with your tech questions and problems.

4.  7th and 8th Girls' Volleyball is happening!  7th & 8th Grade Volleyball Tryouts which will be Wednesday, September 9th through Friday, September 11th from 3:30 - 5:30 in the gymnasium.  Click here is more information. 

5.  Hi Middle School Football Families,

With the recent decision by the governor and the MHSAA, we will be starting our Middle School football season on Monday, September, 14. Schedules are not currently available, but the current plan is to play 5 games. Practice will run daily from 3:10-5:00. 

Some guidelines we will follow:

• Water will not be available. Players need to bring their own water to practice.
• Locker rooms will not be available. Players will need to bring items with them and take them home after practice.
• Until further notice, players will need to wear facemask while practicing.
• Social Distancing will be encouraged.
• This health screening form needs to be completed before coming to practice daily.
• https://app.informedk12.com/link_campaigns/2020-21-saline-athletics-covid-19-screening-form-electronic-form?token=BvUDeJLrkXS9gqJsogTyuuws
  
• If you have a current physical form, you can drop it off at the athletic office at the high school.  MS coaches are not to collect physical forms from players or parents.  
• Please sign up on the Saline Athletics webpage and complete the forms.
• MHSAA rules are allowing kids to play if they have a physical form on file from last school year if they fill out the questionnaire on the Saline Athletics web page found here.

5.  Is your child interested in Builder's Club?  Here is the information:

Please join us in Builder's Club!

We serve our SMS community, senior center, veterans, Humane Society, and wider global community with events like Earth Day, Global Youth Service Day, and more. Please consider joining us for the 2020-2021 school year.

If your student is interested in attending our first meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17th at @7:30am (via Zoom), please fill out this form.

Any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Zemaitis (zemaitik@salineschools.org) or Mrs. Odom (odoml@salineschools.org)

6.  Is your child interested in debate?  Here is the debate information:

The Debate Team is going virtual this year: practices and tournaments.

If a student wants to be on the debate team in 2020-21, parents must complete this debate form to receive a Zoom link to a meeting that will discuss practices, tournaments, judging, payment, and more.

7.  Did you miss "Welcome Week" information?  Click this link.

8.   Saline Middle School will be hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, September 23rd

9.  Sixth Grade Students have a new elective:  Compass Connections!

Here is a quick overview of the course: 

 

* Compass Connections is a new 6th grade elective. This class alternates with 6th grade P.E. and 6th grade Art.   (Music has its own separate rotation) 

* The course focuses on three themes: Care, Celebration and Cooperation. 

* The course serves as an overall orientation to Saline Middle School (SMS) and habits of success important for learning at the secondary level. 

* This course introduces important and relevant topics such as equity, identity, and inclusion. 

 

Attached is a PowerPoint with more detail about this course. 

Compass Connections PowerPoint

 

This course will be taught by Rachel Youssef (youssefr@salineschools.org) and Gretchen Marshall (marshalg@salineschools.org).

10.  Hybrid Model Schedule:  Beginning Monday, September 28th, students with the last name A-K will come to school if you chose in-person schooling.  On Tuesday, September 29th, students with the last name of L-Z will come to school.  The schedule link on page 7 has a tentative schedule of this.

REMEMBER TO SCREEN!

As we begin to think about schedule pick-up and pictures, please keep the following in mind:

For the health and safety of our students, the local public health department requires students to be screened for symptoms of COVID-19 before entering the school building. The local public health department and CDC do not recommend that on site screening be conducted by schools due to the time and interruption to education this would cause. 

We ask that you complete the steps of the student screening protocol below, prior to sending your child to school, school activities, or sports. Your completion of these steps affirms your understanding and agreement to perform daily symptom screenings for your child. If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, or if your child's temperature is 100.4 F or higher, DO NOT send your child to school.

• Fever or chills?

• Cough?

• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing?

• Fatigue?

• Muscle or body aches?

• Headache?

• Loss of taste or smell?

• Sore throat?

• Congestion or runny nose?

• Nausea or vomiting?

• Diarrhea?

We need your commitment to screen your child(ren) daily for the 2020-2021 school year, unless otherwise directed. Please also understand and commit to call Saline Area Schools as soon as possible to let them know if your child is not going to school due to potential COVID-19 symptoms.

Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, September 8th:  First Day of School  (Clink link for schedule)

Wednesday, September 9th-11th:  Girls' Volleyball Tryouts 3:30 pm-5:00 pm NEW

Wednesday, September 23rd:  Red Cross Blood Drive (Must be 18 or older)

Thursday, October 15th:  Picture Retake Day 

Please remember:

If you would like to contribute to the Saline Middle School Office Library, go here:  

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/34X72JZ0BYZQZ?ref_=wl_share