Saline Middle School Hornet Highlights for Sunday, November 22, 2020

 Principal's Message:  

On behalf of the Saline Middle School staff, we wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving!  We are grateful for your students, your support, your patience and understanding this school year.  Please know that our staff will be enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday with their families and will respond to emails and phone calls after the holiday.  While this Thanksgiving will be like no other, we hope that you are able to enjoy time with your immediate families.  

Going into the second trimester, we truly want to focus on student engagement.  Please review the infographic below with your student.  Also, please remember that asynchronous times are time for learning.  Your student should open up Google Classroom or Summit platforms during the times designated for asynchronous learning.

1.  What is the schedule for the remainder of the trimester?  Monday, November 23rd, is a full synchronous remote day while Tuesday, November 24th is asynchronous.  Since it technically is a Blue day, some teachers may only have Blue students in class while others have invited Blue/Gold to class on this date.  Please have your student check in with his/her teacher(s).

2.  If my sixth grade student would like to return to an in-person schedule, when will we know?  Originally, the date for that was November 24th.  We have your survey information and as soon as we know that it is safe to return to in-person instruction, we will inform you of your student's new classroom placement.

3.  If my seventh or eighth grader would like to return in person, when will we know?  We have your survey information and as soon as we know that it is safe to return to in-person instruction, we will verify with an email.

4.  Will sixth graders have new specials this trimester?  While music will remain constant, your student will have a new special.  This information will come from your student's homeroom teacher.

5.  Will there be blue and gold days in the remote schedule?  No, beginning Monday, November 30th, classes will once again meet together in the remote setting.

6.  Will there be an opportunity to pick up materials for classes?  There are many materials already in the vestibule.  Your student's teacher will have contacted if materials are available there.   

7.  What if we have a meeting scheduled or an IEP scheduled for in-person?  These meetings will all be remote.

8.  What if my student's technology does not work?  Due to changes, for the next 3 weeks, devices from students that are having tech challenges will be swapped out during the day, by appointment, by the Tech Team.  The swap will be with a Tech Team member, outdoors, in the HS bus loop.  Please have families call 401-4999, to leave a message, or fill out this form and a tech team member will happily work through any issues they are having or set up an appointment to get the device swapped out.

9.  What will be the new remote schedules?  Here is a link to the new schedules beginning Monday, November 30, 2020.

Schedule for the Week:

Elective Day	Monday A 11/23	Tuesday A 11/24 Asynchronous	Wednesday B  11/25    No School	Thursday B 11/26 No School Happy Thanksgiving!	Friday A and B 11/27 No School!
Blue (A-K)	Remote*	Remote
Gold (L-Z)	Remote*	Remote

New and Important Information for the Week:

Saline Middle School Book Fair Online!

You’re invited to shop our SMS Book Fair online from Monday 11/23 - Sunday 12/6!

You’ll love the NEW option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist and enjoy these special online shopping features:

• Over 6,000 items, including new releases, best sellers, and value packs!
• All orders ship direct to home
• FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*
• Don't have a book order over $25? Contact us @ mspto@salineschools.org for a group order!
• All purchases support our school :)

Visit our Book Fair Homepage and click “Shop Now” to get started:
www.scholastic.com/bf/salinemiddleschool1

Happy Reading!

SMS PTO

mspto@salineschools.org

*Free standard shipping is available on book-only orders of $25+ after all discounts are applied. Free standard shipping (books) must be selected during checkout. Orders containing products other than books are not eligible for this shipping promotion.

All purchases benefit our school and connect kids with new books, favorite characters, complete series, and more!

A new Covid-19 saliva test has now been released!  Here is the press release from the Washtenaw County Health Department.

Here is the At-Home Learning Toolkit released by the SAS Elementary buildings.  There is a lot of useful information that may also help our secondary students.

Game Day: If you are looking to connect with friends or make new friends during lunchtime then Game Day is the club for you! Game Day will consist of students coming together to play games via zoom such as “Would You Rather, Jeopardy, Kahoot”, free social chat time with friends and more! Game day will be held on Fridays during lunch from 11:10-11:40am starting Friday, December 4th.  Please complete This  to express your interest in this club and our club advisor will respond to you with the zoom link. Mrs. Collins, our School Social Worker will be the advisor for this club. If you have questions please reach out to Mrs. Collins at collinsa@salineschools.org to join this club. 

Covid-19 Related Items:

What Happens When Someone Gets Covid

Flowchart for Symptomatic Individuals

New Saliva test released

If you are coming into Saline Middle School for a meeting, please fill out the Health Screener before your arrival.  Your cooperation with this is appreciated.

Here is the latest version of the SAS Connected Learning Plan. This includes updates to sample schedules and a new flow chart for health scenarios.

From the SMS PTO:

PTO No Hassle Fundraiser.  Please donate at this link:  http://mspto.weebly.com/fundraising.html

Box Tops:  Happy Holidays Saline Middle School Families! Have you downloaded the Box Top$ for Education app yet? Please keep box tops In mind while you are grocery shopping this holiday season. It is now easier than ever to submit box tops via the box tops for education app. Just scan your receipt within 14 days of purchases and the app will check for eligible items in order to give our school credit. If you’re shopping online for groceries or get emailed receipts, you can still earn Box Tops for our school. Download the app and start earning today.

Upcoming Dates:

For information about clubs, athletics and school events, subscribe to the Saline Middle School calendar or go to the Saline MIddle School Website.

November 23rd and 24th:  Remote for ALL Students

November 25th-27th:  Thanksgiving Break

November 30th:  Start of new remote schedule and new trimester

December 21st-January 3rd:  Winter Break

Repeating Messages:

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

Attendance:  Please remember that if your child is going to be absent, even remotely, please call the Saline Middle School front office to report attendance at 734-401-4600; press #1 for attendance OR use the Google Form.  

Grades:  Please check Powerschool or Summit Platform as many teachers have begun to enter grades.  Please contact the technology department here if you are having difficulty accessing Powerschool.

Breakfast and lunch continue to be free for ALL students as long as Federal funding allows.  

Saline Middle School Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA):  Is your student interested in helping start Saline Middle School's Gay-Straight Alliance? Whether you're a part of the LGBTQ+ community or you're an ally, we would love to hear how interested your student is.  Please fill out this form if your student is interested. 

The SMS Girls Who Code Club is looking to begin meeting in the 2nd trimester. Please go to HQ.girlswhocode.com and use MI27446 to sign up and show your interest. Meeting dates and times will be determined after everyone has signed up based on everyone's availability. 

Toys for Tots: Miss Saline is collecting donations for Toys for Tots. You may find a donation box at: Saline Middle School, Saline High School, Renew Salon and Spa, Mancino's, Susan Rosales at State Farm Saline, Brewed Awakenings, and Katherine Kelly Orthodontics. Please donate a new unwrapped toy by December 14th. Thank you! 

Destination Imagination:  The deadline for registration is January 1, 2021; however, we would love to get students on teams before then, if possible.  A ton of details are on our website: www.salinedi.org.