Friday, May 4th

Happy Friday, Sharks!

It has been a busy week here at SMS as we head into SOLs next week. Lots of great Star Wars shirts here at SMS today due to May the 4^th date. A number of our kids are off to Busch Gardens today for their band trip. Last night, we had both the orchestra concert where a number of our students were able to let their talent shine, and the Parent Council showing of Screenagers here at SMS. Our track team went off to Walton on Wednesday for the track meet. We had the April birthday celebration on Monday. Walking the halls this week, you can tell the end of the year is almost here as the students continue work on their projects, prepare for SOLs, and work on lot of cool items in their classes. 

Coming up, we start the three-week SOL testing window. We test on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the next three weeks – mostly in the mornings after morning announcements. During week three, the 8^th grade Civics and Science SOLs will be in the afternoon. Students will need their computers for the tests, but will leave them at school prior to testing to make sure they are charged and ready to go. This coming week, we have the Reading SOLs. Student should get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast before their tests. Cell phones and electronics are not allowed in the testing rooms, so they should bring a book to read if they finish the test before their peers. Good luck on all the tests!

A reminder that we have an ICA schedule today. If your child is leaving early between 3 – 4 PM, please allow for extra time for pick-up. Have a great weekend, folks!  

  

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, May 7^th: Teal Day

Tuesday, May 8^th: Black Day
7^th and 8^th Grade Reading SOL test

Wednesday, May 9th: Teal Day
6^th Grade Reading SOL test

Thursday, May 10^th: Black Day

Friday, May 11^th: Teal Day
8^th Grade Orchestra trip to Busch Gardens
Make-up SOL tests

Saturday, May 12^th: SUNSET RUN @ 7:00 PM

News from SMS:

1. From the PTO: Come to Bingo/ Trivia Night on Friday, May 18th from 6:30-8pm in the Sutherland Cafeteria! You can win prizes from local businesses! This is a fundraiser for the Sutherland DI team going to globals in Tennessee! 
2. 8^th Grade Team News:

• Celebration/Dance: The 8^th grade team would like to express our sincere appreciation to the PTO for their generous funding of this event, and to the parents who donated their time, talents, and additional resources to create a memorable evening for the students. The students all greatly enjoyed the addition of games and activities, and the ‘Countries Around the World’ dinner theme to the event! 
• Looking ahead: Practice for the Moving On’ Ceremony Practice will take place on the morning before the event: Tuesday, June 5th. We will start right after the morning announcements, so please ensure that your student arrive at school on time. In the afternoon, the 8^th grade team will be treating the students to an ice cream social ‘with all the toppings!’
• Reminder: While we know that our students are happily anticipating starting the next chapter of their school life in the high school setting, please support our efforts to keep them focused on their last few weeks of learning middle school curriculum. They will be participating in numerous final exams and four additional SOL tests prior to the end of the school year. Please ensure their timely arrival to school, and as few early dismissals as possible, to ensure their best performance. We appreciate your support on behalf of your students.

3. UVA Facilities Management hosts third annual Girls Day set for June 14. Registration is open May 1.    UVA Facilities Management will host its third annual Girls Day on Thursday, June 14 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. This year’s event will be open to girls between the ages of 10 and 16 from the Charlottesville area community. Registration opens Tuesday, May 1 on the following website: https://www.fm.virginia.edu/girlsday2018/#register.

The event aims to inspire and excite girls ages 10-16 to consider a career in construction and the building trades by offering behind-the-scenes tours of work sites, including the Main Heat Plant and the Carr’s Hill renovation, as well as hands-on activities with our tradespeople and opportunities to hear from our dynamic FM women and what they love about their careers. This year’s lunch will take place at the recently renovated baseball stadium and feature speaker UVA Director of Athletics Carla Williams.

Questions? Contact the FM Girls Day Committee at fmgirlsday@virginia.edu or visit the Girls Day website at https://www.fm.virginia.edu/girlsday2018.