Friday, April 20th

Happy Friday, Sharks!

What a week! Lots of news items below…a record breaking 8 items, so this part will be short and sweet. We have a busy week next week with the 5K race. The PE Department has worked very hard to make this a great event and the students have worked hard preparing for the run. The race takes place all day during exploratory blocks, so students will most likely want to bring a change of clothes for after the race. Rain date is Thursday. We also have the 8th grade dance coming on Saturday of next week. We hope you all have a terrific weekend and enjoy the time together.

Next Week @ SMS:Monday, April 23rd: Teal DayTuesday, April 24th: Black DayWednesday, April 25th: Teal DaySMS 5k Race in all PE classes
Thursday, April 26th: Black DaySMS 5K Rain date
Friday, April 27th: Teal DaySaturday, April 28th: 8th Grade Dance (5:30 – 8:00 PM)

News from SMS:

1. From Mrs. McCullough: Walton Middle School is hosting their 1st Annual Walton Math Tournament on May 12th from 9 am to 1 pm.  Students can be on teams of 5th/6th graders or 7th/8th graders, two to five students per team.  There is a registration fee of $30 per team and a parent sponsor would be needed.  If your child is interested in attending this event, please email Diana McCullough at dmccullough@k12albemarle.org. Please respond by April 27th.  If we have enough interest, I will organize and register the teams.

2. From Mrs. McCullough #2: Hello Parents, please check the following site for information about a summer opportunity for your child. I’ve heard great reviews from students. http://mesabridgecamp.weebly.com/

3. From the PTO: The PTO is hosting a viewing of the movie, SCREENAGERS, on Thursday May 3rd from 6:30 – 8:30 PM in the SMS Gathering Area. Here is a brief write up from the film’s website:

 “Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well. In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction.”

4. From the PTO # 2: It’s that time of year again when we take a week to thank our entire SMS staff for all of their hard work and daily efforts with our children.  This year our theme will be, SMS, “TACO” ‘bout a great staff! We have a lot of fun things planned for our staff but can’t possibly pull it off without help from our parents. Please see the SUG attached for more information, thank you! SMS PTO http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4bafab2fa2f85-sms

5. From the SCA: The SCA is doing a service project for the Albemarle County Police Department. Please consider donating any of the following items to help us:

Boxes of Granola Bars
Snack bags of pretzels, popcorn, mixed nuts, etc.
Hershey kisses
Bags of candy - any flavor
Bags of mints
Packages of gum
Bundles of 10 pencils
Boxes of Rice Crispy treats
Travel size boxes of Clorox Wipes, ibuprofen or Advil, Emergen C
Travel size tissues

Please have your student bring these to the office or E -5 to Ms. Walkup's room. Thank you.

6. 8th Grade Dance Help Needed: 8th Grade Parents - we really need your help to make this a fun and successful evening for our 8th graders so please check out the link below and sign up wherever you are able to help.  We welcome help from our 7th grade parents too!  Below, please find the SUG for the April 28 8th Grade Celebration. Here is the invitation for our student

SUG: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4bafab2fa2f85-8thgrade​

7. The 2nd Annual Sunset Run is on May 12, 2018 at sunset. It is a fun run/walk that is organized by two 8th graders, Catie Swansiger and Samantha Sanford. As a school project they are challenged to make the world a better place and they chose a run where all the proceeds are given to the UVA Children's Hospital.  Please click here for the registration form and we hope you can join us! Register by April 20th so you can order a tee shirt! Any questions email Catie and Samantha at run@yahoo.com

8. Rising AHS ninth graders - Do you love to mountain bike?  Have you always wanted to try but are not sure how to start?  Great news!  Albemarle High School has mountain bike cluband we are looking for riders for the fall season.  New riders, experienced riders, and everyone in between are welcome to join.  We will practice 2 afternoons a week and there will be the option to ride all over the state in the Virginia National Interscholastic Cycling Association fall races.  More information about the league can be found at org or you can contact Matt and Eliza Holland at eholland19@comcast.net.  Also check out our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ahsmtb/