Friday, March 9th

Happy Friday, Sharks!

What a whirlwind of a week here. Lots of activities both this week and coming up next week as well. Last night, our seventh grade Band students ventured north to Madison County for a terrific concert. Today, the 8^th grade Band has a trip over to Burley Middle School. Wednesday saw a few of our students compete in the Piedmont Regional Science Fair. Five of our Sharks got honorable mentions and two students from Sutherland won first place in Computer Sciences. Way to go Alan and Logan, as well as Reilly, Katie, Sophia, Sam, and Alden! Wednesday morning was also the Hoops for Heart event down in the gym where a number of our students participated. Today, we have the Talent Show from 2 PM – 4PM and a modified class schedule to accommodate this fantastic event. Lots of students will be on stage showcasing their many talents, so I am sure it will be a great time. Just a reminder that dismissal for early pick-ups will take longer during the last two hours due to the show.

Coming up next week, we have a flurry of activity (and a chance of snow). Both Monday night and Tuesday night from 5 – 8 PM, we have volleyball games here at SMS. The whole 7^th grade is also on a field trip Tuesday to the annual Career Expo. Friday night, we have a dance from 4 – 6 PM to help support the Fine Arts trip coming up soon. Busy busy.

Coming home with students today will be a letter regarding the National School Walk-Out that takes place this coming Wednesday at 10:00. For those who may have missed the county announcements, this is a 17-minute walk-out where students across the nation have been encouraged to walk out of their schools to show their support for ending gun violence. It is important for you to know that teachers and administrators will neither encourage nor discourage participation in these protests, nor will our staff participate, other than to provide supervision.  Our goal is to keep students safe. We would ask each of you to review the letter that comes home with your child today and have a discussion to see your child’s feelings regarding the walk out. Please know that we will not prevent any child from participating in the event. There is no consequence for those who choose to walk out unless students leave school grounds. Several of our SCA students have an event planned for those who choose to walk outside. Class will continue as normal for those who choose to stay inside. After you review the letter, should you have any questions, please contact us on either Monday or Tuesday.

Lots of reading! That’s all for me for the day. Off to the Talent Show. Have a terrific weekend and hopefully, we will see you Monday (0 inches – 8 inches of snow...seriously?).

Next Week @ SMS: 

Monday, March 12^th: Black Day

5:00 – 8:00 PM: Volleyball 

Tuesday, March 13^th: Teal Day

Morning: 7^th grade field trip to the Career Expo

5:00 – 8:00 PM: Volleyball

Wednesday, March 14^th: Black Day

Thursday, March 15^th: Teal Day

Friday, March 16^th: Black Day

4:00 – 6:00 PM: Dance!

News from SMS:

Hello Parents with Daughters here at SMS, The Village School in Charlottesville hosts a GEMS (Girls Excelling in Math) tournament every year.  This year the date is Saturday, April 21 from 1:30 to 6:00 PM.  Parents will be responsible for transportation and there is a nominal fee (tbd) that covers a T-shirt and snacks.  Girls work in teams of 4 to solve fun and challenging math problems and activities.  It is open to grades 6-8. If your daughter would like to participate, please email me by next Wednesday, March 14^th.  Space is often limited so I will take names in the order I receive them.

My email address is dmccullough@k12albemarle.org . Let me know if you have any questions. 

Thanks, Diana McCullough

Sutherland will be participating in the Neighbors-4-Neighbors School Food Drive starting March 5 through March 23. Please send in canned foods, peanut butter, cereal, pasta, baby food or any other boxed food. We appreciate your support.