Friday, March 16th

Happy Friday, Sharks!

And happy Dance Day, as well. A terrific Friday here at SMS that finally reminds us that Spring is almost here. Students are heading down to the Red Carpet Dance this afternoon complete with its own basketball tournament. We have had an action-packed week here at SMS. Two nights of Volleyball for our girls started the week. All of our team did a terrific job. 7^th graders had the yearly Career Expo trip on Tuesday, which required the whole grade to journey over to UVA. We were finally able to celebrate the February birthdays on Wednesday, and can now look ahead to the March birthdays to schedule a date. All in all, a very productive week. Coming up, the busy agendas continue as we get one week closer to Spring Break. Our 8^th grade class will be busy next week as we have the Writing SOLs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Come Friday, a small number of our 8^th graders head to Washington DC for the Fine Arts Trip. Our girls also have two volleyball games again next week. Lots to look forward to! On with the announcements…

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, March 19^th: Teal Day
5:00 – 8:00 PM: Volleyball @ SMS
Tuesday, March 20^th: Black Day
1^st and 2^nd Blocks: 8^th Grade Writing SOL (multiple choice test)
Wednesday, March 21^st: Teal Day
1^st and 2^nd Blocks: 8^th Grade Writing SOL (prompt)
Middle School Choral Assessment @ Burley
Thursday, March 22^nd: Black Day
SOL make-up tests
Friday, March 23^rd: Teal Day
Fine Arts trip to DC (all weekend)
Junior Regional Orchestra
SOL Make-up tests

News from SMS:

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.

SCA is promoting certain days next week for food. The days are the following:

Macaroni Monday (or any pasta)
Taco Tuesday (canned or boxed items used for making tacos)
Wheaties Wednesday (or any other cereal)
Tuna Thursday
Canned Food Friday

Donut Day is Friday, March 23rd, and the PTO is in need a few items. Please check out the included SUG. Thank you! http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4bafab2fa2f85-smsdonut

Sutherland Parks and Rec Track Information - Sutherland track registration forms are available at Sutherland on the table by the cafeteria or on the Albemarle County Parks and Rec website below.   The forms are due in by Tuesday March 27th and practice begins on the Monday after Spring break.   Please see the registration form for more details.    https://www.albemarle.org/department.asp?department=parks&relpage=2896

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.

Friday, March 2nd

Happy Wind-Day, Sharks!

For those without power, and I am sure there are many of you, I hope it is restored soon. Due to today’s closure, I am sure more announcements will come in Monday once staff returns, though we do have a few I will include below. Girls’ volleyball is now underway and won their first games last night here against Walton Middle School. We had an 8^th grade Band trip scheduled for today that has tentatively been rescheduled for next Friday. Stay tuned for confirmation there. A reminder that HS Academy acceptances (MESA, HMSA, ESA) are slated to go out this afternoon after 4 PM. I believe that is still planned despite today’s closure. We have a very busy week ahead in terms of events, so I will jump into the schedule and what few announcements I have for now. Enjoy the long weekend, stay warm, hold on to your hats, and see you soon!

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, March 5^th: Teal Day

Tuesday, March 6^th: Black Day

  6:30 – 7:30 PM: Band Boosters meeting

Wednesday, March 7^th: Teal Day

  Science Fair trip w/ Mrs. McCullough

  Jump Rope for Heart

  7:00 PM: PTO meeting

Thursday, March 8^th: Black Day

  7^th grade Band to Wetsel Middle School (Madison County) 

Friday, March 9^th: Teal Day

  2:00 – 4:00 PM: Talent Show (be advised, all classes shortened)

News from SMS:

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.

All seventh graders will attend the annual Career Expo on Tuesday March 13^th.  The Expo will be held at UVA Newcomb Hall.  We will leave school around 10:15 and return at 12:45.  If you do not give permission for your child to attend this activity, please contact the school’s counselors.

Friday, February 23rd

Happy Friday, Sharks!

The day almost got away from me! A full week here at SMS that is, as of now, still rolling on as we prepare for tonight’s Carnival. We expect a packed house for this event. Just a reminder that Carnival ends at 9:00 PM. Please make sure you are here to pick up your child at the end of the event. We will open the doors at 6 PM. Each grade uses a different entrance, so look for signs outside to help guide those who did not hear the announcements at lunch. We hope everyone has fun tonight.

The last 24 hours have been busy here at Sutherland. We had the 7^th grade field trip to the Paramount today for the show. Students made it back and reported it was a great time. We also say welcome to next year’s Principal, Mrs. Megan Wood, who was appointed at last night’s School Board Meeting. If you have seen the press release, hopefully you saw that Mrs. Wood is very familiar with Sutherland as she served as an Instructional Coach here at SMS prior to becoming an assistant principal over at AHS. In addition, she has an extensive background as a middle school teacher, having taught at two other county middle schools.  Megan will make a great addition to the team!

Looking ahead to next week, we say hello to March. That happened quickly. We have a fairly normal week ahead, which means very few announcements this week. We will see a few of you this evening, but for those we miss: have a terrific weekend!

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, February 26th: Teal Day

Tuesday, February 27^th: Black Day

Wednesday, February 28^th: Teal Day

Thursday, March 1^st: Black Day

5:00 PM – 7:30 PM: Girls Volleyball Verses Walton

Friday, March 2^nd: Teal Day

8^th Grade Band to Burley

News from SMS:

No announcements at this time. I bet we get some on Monday.

Friday, February 16th

Happy Friday, Sharks!

An outstanding week here at SMS. We had a lot of activity to keep our students engaged. Monday was the Division-wide Spelling Bee. Our student did a terrific job and placed in top levels. Thursday, we had two different fine art events. The whole school got to enjoy the 8th Grade and Jazz Bands perform a terrific show. Later in the day, our sixth grade Strings students ventured forth to MHS for the All-County Orchestra event. Continuing the fine-arts themed week, a reminder we have the Band Coffee House tonight starting at 6:30 PM.

Coming up next week, a reminder that Monday is now a normal school day to make up for one of our snow days. The big event will be the Carnival on Friday starting at 6:00 PM. Short and sweet today as the day has almost escaped me. We hope you have a terrific weekend!

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, February 19th: Black Day
Tuesday, February 20th: Teal Day
Wednesday, February 21st: Black Day
Thursday, February 22nd: Teal Day
Friday, February 23rd: Black Day
6:00 – 9:00 PM: SMS Carnival

News from SMS:

1. BOX TOPS are wanted! Please have your student bring in Box Tops by Friday, February 23rd. SCA is collecting Box Tops and we appreciate all donations.
2. Please check with your students about any overdue Sutherland Library books—they’d have email about these. Books overdue or money owed from Jan. 23rd and before can prevent a student from attending Carnival. All students with overdue books have received multiple notices since the first semester’s end in their k12albemarle.org gmail accounts, with the most recent one having been sent on Thursday, Feb. 15. Thank you for your help in maintaining the library’s collection. Ms. Washko
3. SUTHERLAND ANNUAL CARNIVAL!  NEXT FRIDAY-2/23 from 6 to 9pmThe Sutherland Carnival is slated for NEXT FRIDAY, and we need YOUR help in all areas, particularly with Security posts and supervision the Gym Area. PLEASE go on the Sign-up Genie link and sign up for a slot this weekend! This event IS the service project for the AHS Honor Society students every year, and they do a GREAT JOB, but they can’t do it all and we need parent support! The success of this annual event is truly attributable to the support of our teachers and staff, parents, and the AHS Honor Society students, who all work together to ensure that our students have an evening of fun. We can use your help in any area and timeframe that you are able to give us!

The Carnival Brochure and guest registration form are on the school website.

On Monday, students will be given a brochure during their Chomp class. Additional copies will be available in the main office, as well. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE CARNIVAL! For general carnival questions, please contact the Carnival Chairperson, Gayle Rainey, at grainey@k12albemarle.org
PARENT VOLUNTEER questions should go to Mary Beth Rogers at mbethrod@gmail.com
Sign Up Genie Link:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4bafab2fa2f85-smscarnival2

Happy Friday, Sharks!

What a week! We started with a well-timed snow day on Monday, which the students were grateful for after watching the Super Bowl the night before. Everyone came back with their post-game faces on and pushed through a cold, damp week. Thankfully, the rain has stopped and we get to enjoy the ICA day today. A reminder that during ICA days, pick-ups between 3 PM and 4 PM can take a bit longer, so please plan accordingly.  Looking ahead to next week (theoretically, a five day week barring any weather), we have the rescheduled division-wide spelling bee over at the County Office Building on Monday. We bookend the week with the awesome Band Coffee House on Friday starting at 6:00 PM. This is a great event where students, parents, and staff are given the chance to participate up on stage. Looking a bit further down the road, we have the SMS Carnival coming up in two weeks, so look for the announcement below for more information.

We wrap up School Counselors Week with a special shout out to Mrs. Heather Lindsay and Mrs. Lisa Wright, our school counselors, for all the hard work and care they give to our students each and every day. That’s all for this Friday. We hope you have a terrific weekend!

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, February 12^th: Teal Day

5:00 – 8:00 PM: Division Spelling Bee @ Lane Auditorium (County Office Building)

Tuesday, February 13^th: Black Day

Wednesday, February 14^th: Teal Day

Thursday, February 15^th: Black Day

Friday, February 16^th: Teal Day

6:00 – 8:00 PM: Band Coffee House event here at SMS

News from SMS:

1.            Since 1995, Seminole Boys Lacrosse League has been providing recreational lacrosse for future Albemarle High School Patriot lacrosse players.  The League works closely with Coach King and the AHS Lacrosse program.  Practices begin February 20 with Games March - May.  Registration is open now at www.seminolelax.org.  Equipment and financial assistance available. Join us this Sunday 2/11 at Dick's Sporting Goods near Wegman's for Lacrosse Appreciation Day and get 20% off your purchase of most items in the store for the day. Questions - brian@seminolelax.org

2.      23^nd SMS CARNIVAL DATE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2017    6 TO 9PM

In 2 weeks, we are having our annual carnival for our students! For those of you who are new to our community, the Sutherland Carnival is a unique activity designed for middle school students to have the opportunity to socialize with their own unique peer group, and registered friends from other middle schools in the area, while under both teacher and parent supervision.

Obviously, an event this large takes a massive amount of parent volunteers. The success of this annual event is truly attributable to the support of our parents, and the AHS Honor Society students, who work tirelessly to ensure that our students have an evening of fun. Please know that I am grateful for your generous donation of your time and talent to this event every year! We need help in all areas of the carnival from games; from hall supervision to games to concessions to the inflatables in the gym-we can use your help in any area and timeframe that you are able to give us!

The PTO will be coordinating the parent volunteers again this year, so please watch click on the link below to sign up for an activity or supervision of a door for security. THANK YOU PTO FOR YOUR HELP! At the beginning of next week, we will be uploading the SMS Guest Registration Form and the Carnival Brochure to the school website. On behalf of our student body: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! For general carnival questions, please contact the Carnival Chairperson, Gayle Rainey, at grainey@k12albemarle.org

Sign-Up Link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/5080D4BAFAB2FA2F85-smscarnival2

3.   Want to start your Friday off in a relaxing and attention focusing way? Every Friday there is a Mindful Morning group for all interested Sutherland students - we meet in the library. Students are welcome to arrive as early as 8am, we will start at 8:15, and we will finish before first bell - SNACKS provided! You are welcome to bring any of your Sutherland friends. We will do movement like stretching and balance and sometimes add other activities like drumming.  We will do some mindful awareness practices, focused on noticing our thoughts, our breath, and the present moment.  We also hope to connect with other students at other schools who do similar activities and possibly go on field trips.  No experience necessary. This is a great, healthy way for all of us to start each Friday. This is a drop in class without long-term commitment; students are welcome to come any Friday that works. Any questions or comments let me know. Kindly, Mr. Matriccino

It's GROUNDHOG DAY!!!

Happy Friday, Sharks!

Happy Groundhog Day! Looks like Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, so the winter will continue on. We had an outstanding week here at Sutherland. The second semester is now underway. No snow has interrupted the flow of things, so folks are settling back into the routine. The highlight of the week was definitely the 6^th grade band concert on Wednesday night. With our largest 6^th grade band group ever, Mr. Gregg somehow found room enough on the stage to showcase how far our sixth graders have come in just under five months.  There were solos, there was some improvisation, and there were a few squeaky reeds. It was great to see the students have fun while putting on a great show. I am sure Dairy Queen was ill prepared for the crowd that showed up around 8:15 PM that evening. Great job to all involved!

Coming up next week, we have a Band Boosters meeting on Tuesday, a PTO meeting Wednesday evening, and an ICA day on Friday. Monday afternoon, over at Lane Auditorium at the County Office Building, will be the division Spelling Bee where the various school winners will face off. Good luck to our Sutherland champion. Don’t forget, Q2 and Semester 1 grades are all now live on Parent Portal for viewing. That is all for today. I plan on heading home and watching a certain Bill Murray movie for the 200^th time while annoying my family by quoting the characters over and over. Bing! Happy Groundhog Day!

Next Week @ SMS:

Monday, February 5^th: Teal Day

            Division Spelling Bee @ 4:30 PM (Location: County Office Building)

Tuesday, February 6^th: Black Day

            Band Boosters meeting @ 6:30 PM

Wednesday, February 7^th: Teal Day

            PTO Meeting @ 7:00 PM

Thursday, February 8^th: Black Day

Friday, February 9^th: Teal Day

            ICA DAY

News from SMS:

We could really use some volunteers to help sell snacks at the beginning of the ICA period next Friday.  Please consider volunteering if you're able to help, it’s quick and easy!  (usually about 45 minutes or less.)  Please click here  if you’d like to sign up.  Once a month, SMS has an ICA Day when the kids can sign up to do fun activities for the last hour of the day.  Next week it will be on Friday  2/9/18.  At the start of the ICA period, concessions are sold from snack carts in each grade’s hallway. Each item is $1.50 and the kids will need to bring money if they would like to purchase snacks.  This fundraiser helps purchase supplies needed for ICA crafts and activities.     If you have any questions please contact Amy Dolak at ard07us@yahoo.com.  Thanks!

SCA is currently running its annual Scavenger Hunt. Please send in any of the following items to help local organizations. Please make sure your student's name is on the bag so they can earn prizes. We help several organizations in the community so thank you for your support.

*food - cereal, pasta, canned vegetables or soup, noodles or rice

*hats, gloves, coats

*box of tissues

*blankets

*dog or cat food, treats or toys

*paper towels

*cat litter

*box tops

*soda can tops

*25 pennies

*6 quarters

*bundles of 10 pencils

*dry erase markers

*gently worn pair of shoes

February is also BOX TOP month. Please send in your box tops to the main office. We are collecting Box Tops through February 23rd.