May 2016 Volume 6 • Issue 2
Sugar Land Middle School 281-634-3080
www.fortbendisd.com
Len Brogan Principal
Kara Morgan 6th Grade Associate Principal
Sarah Brown 7th Grade Assistant Principal
Luster Goodwin 8th Grade Assistant Principal
Nafecia Brinson 6th Grade Counselor
Eleni Smith 7th Grade Lead Counselor
Kim Seright 8th Grade Counselor
Principal’s Corner It only seems a short time ago that we were starting our school year at Sugar Land Middle School and now the year is quickly coming to an end. We have had a lot to celebrate in this our 40th year, as our students have worked hard in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. Our 6th grade students, who not too long ago were learning to open lockers and find classrooms, have a full year of middle school under their belts. Our 7th grade students now become our leaders and I know they will be role models for others. Meanwhile we say farewell to our 8th grade students who have done much for our school. We wish the class of 2020 the best of luck in high school and beyond and know they are going to leave their positive mark on this world. This year we also welcomed new students from Garcia Middle School to our building and they quickly acclimated to becoming outstanding Titans. At the time of this publication we currently have 1280 students enrolled at Sugar Land and are projected to have the same number for the 2016-2017 school year. We had many things to celebrate this year. Our fine arts department once again showed how creative and talented our students can be in many performances and contests. Highlights included our theater students winning the District UIL One Act Play for the second year in a row, many students winning in the visual arts at the Spring Festival, and our Symphonic Orchestra and Honors Band receiving all superior ratings at UIL contest. Our Full Orchestra, the only middle school full orchestra in the district, also took home sweepstakes at UIL contest. Our choir program continued to grow and we had 8 students make the all-region choir. Titan athletes were also successful with many games and matches being won. One of the many highlights of the sports year was our Girls 8th Grade B Basketball team being co-divison champions. We had district champions in Girls track with 7th Grader Lauren H. winning the 100 and 200 meter races, 8th Grader Lauren I. winning the shot put and discus, and 8th Grader Angelica W. winning the 110 and 300 hurdles. On the Boys side 7th grader Byron G. won the high jump. The best part about our athletes was win or lose, they always displayed outstanding sportsmanship and represented our school with the highest integrity. In the classroom our students moved forward to being the lifelong learners we want them to be. They grew academically and this carried over to academic contests. We had many students successful in the district science fair and our 6th grade student Leyna N., won the district spelling bee and had a great showing in the Houston City Wide bee. We have two students, Brian D. and Cindy L., who are finalists for the Scratch Coding Contest which will be announced May 6th. We know with the guidance of our exemplary teachers, students will continue to experience success in the classroom. All around it has been an outstanding year at Sugar Land. I want to thank our teachers and staff, parents, and the community for everything they have done to make this year successful. Have a fun, restful, and safe summer. We will see all returning students Monday August 22 at 8:50 a.m. Len Brogan, Principal
MISSION STATEMENT
Working collaboratively, the Sugar Land Middle School Professional Learning Community will commit to creating a safe environment with high expectations leading to physical, social, emotional and academic success for all Titans.
2 sugar land ms National Language Arts League
Pre-AP ELA
SLMS sixth graders recently participated in National Language Arts League, which assesses knowledge of vocabulary; punctuation, capitalization, and grammar; reading comprehension; and spelling. Winners are as follows.
Mrs. Person’s Pre-AP ELA students recently entered 41 poems in writing contests sponsored by The Poetry Society of Texas. Keagan Huff placed fourth in The Thelma Evelyn Boyd Award contest. For Middle School Award contest Ashley Rainwater placed fourth, while Trinity Davis placed fifth. The following students from Mrs. Person’s ELA classes are published in A Celebration of Poets * West * Grades K-6 * Fall 2015. Anna A.
Sarah H.
Kiana L.
Kelvin P.
• 1st place – Kosi U.
Aldo A.
Caitlyn H.
Dominique M.
Jean-Paul R.
• 2nd place – Jayden C.
Angelle A.
Anthony H.
Bryan M.
Marcela R.
• 3rd place – Paul M.
Madison A.
Keagan H.
Kelis M.
Hannah S.
• runners up – Francisco P., Jayden Q., Douglas T., Anthony M.
Skylar B.
Amy H.
Luke M.G.
Omair S.
Filaina B.
Lensa N.
Russell T.
Team 2
Safura J.
Sarah C.
Elena J.
Leyna N.
Rebekah T.
Annie D.
Abia K.
Rebecca N.
Jessica V.
Darwich F.
Imaani K.
Trucvi N.
Paulina W.
Ariel F.
Sarah K.
Ava O.
Sahan W.
Zoe G.A.
Christine L.
Leah P.
Kelsey W.
Jessica G.
Maxwell L.
Katelyn P.
Team 1
• 1st place – Leyna N. • 2nd place – Kelvin P., Kelsey W., Michelle V. • 3rd place – Jose C.M., Anthony H., Paulina W., Sahan W. • runners up – Anna A., Abigail N., Elena J., Maxwell L., Saraf T., Jason V. Congratulations!
Good job, sixth grade poets!
Sixth Grade Titans Sixth grade Titans have completed WordMasters Meet 3 analogies! In the Gold Challenge Caitlyn H. and Tre W. are SLMS winners, and SLMS runners-up are Sarah C. and Kelvin P.. In the Blue Challenge SLMS winners are Wesley T. and Kosisochukwu U., while these students are runners-up: Basel A., Vivian C., Ariel F., Vy H., Khalil H., and Michael M.. Cumulative champs will be recognized with a medal or a certificate before semester exams.
“Creating Healthy, Beautiful Smiles “Creating Healthy, Beautiful Smiles Every Day!” Every Day!”
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Teens in The Drivers Seat
Theatrefest
Sugar Land Middle School won 1st place – Junior High in the 20152016 TDS Cup which includes a $1,500 cash prize for our school!
• 3rd place Slam Poetry- Jessica N. & Ke’Anna L.
Holly Nguyen won a Special Recognition in the Driving the Message contest! The prizes are below.
• 3rd place Prose Interpretation - Taylor C.
Sponstar Award: Iris Hancock
• 2nd place Lip Sync - Molly M., Cora D., Audrey C., Nancy R. & Emily N.
Jr High Poster Contest Winners:
• 3rd place Monologues - Sophia L. • 2nd place Duet Acting -Connor W. & Audrey C.
• Special Recognition, $500 – Holly Nguyen, Sugar Land Middle School
• 1st place Group Scene - Connor W., Michael B., Damian K. & Audrey C.
Honorable Mentions:
Finalists included:
• Samantha P. • Vivian T.
• Group scene- Hope M., Chloe W., Debanhi G., Zoe & Chrisi A.
• Hanson P.
• Poetry Interpretation- Eloka D.
• Angela X.
• Extemporaneous Speaking- Eloka D.
• Anushri G.
• Slam Poetry- Cora D.
• Lauren H.
• Vocal Solo- Cora D.
Fort Bend ISD MatchBook! Kudos to eighth graders Joan J. and Johan J. as well as seventh graders Zahrina I. and Amanda L. for participating in the Fort Bend ISD MatchBook! Reading Competition Saturday, April 30. They attempted to match 25 quotes to 30 award-winning books and placed fourth in preliminary round one. Thanks to them for their hard work all year and commitment to SLMS!
4 sugar land ms Fort Bend ISD Middle School Exam Schedule for 2015-2016 FIRST DAY May 27, 2016 8:55 – 9:30 1st period review 9:35 – 10:10 2nd period review 10:15 – 10:50 3rd period review 10:55 – 12:35 4th period review “A” Lunch 10:55 – 11:25 Class 11:30 – 12:35 Class 10:55 – 11:30 “B” Lunch 11:30 – 12:00 Class 12:05 – 12:35 Class 10:55 – 12:05 “C” Lunch 12:05 – 12:35 12:40 – 1:15 5th period review 1:20 – 1:55 6th period review 2:00 – 3:55 7th PERIOD EXAM SECOND DAY May 31, 2016 8:55 – 10:50 1st PERIOD EXAM 10:55 – 11:20 2nd period review 11:25 – 1:05 4th period review “A” Lunch 11:25 – 11:55 Class 12:00 – 1:05 Class 11:25 – 12:00 “B” Lunch 12:00 – 12:30 Class 12:35 – 1:05 Class 11:25 – 12:35 “C” Lunch 12:35 – 1:05 1:10 – 1:30 3rd period review 1:35 – 1:55 5th period review 2:00 – 3:55 6th PERIOD EXAM THIRD DAY 8:55 – 10:50 10:55 – 11:25 11:25 – 1:25
June 1, 2016 2nd PERIOD EXAM Lunch (in 3rd period class) 3rd PERIOD EXAM (1:25 School Dismissal)
FOURTH DAY 8:55 – 10:50 10:55 – 11:25 11:25 – 1:25
June 2, 2016 4th PERIOD EXAM Lunch (in 5th period class) 5th PERIOD EXAM (1:25 School Dismissal)
A few spots are left! We need you!
6th Grade MORNING Block Exam Schedule May-June 2016 Friday May 27 8:55-9:50 1st Morning Block Review 9:55-10:50 2nd Morning Block Review 10:55 – 12:35 4th period review “A” Lunch 10:55 – 11:25 Class 11:30 – 12:35 Class 10:55 – 11:30 “B” Lunch 11:30 – 12:00 Class 12:05 – 12:35 Class 10:55 – 12:05 “C” Lunch 12:05 – 12:35 12:40 – 1:15 5th period review 1:20 – 1:55 6th period review 2:00 – 3:55 7th PERIOD EXAM Tuesday May 31 8:55-10:05 1st Morning Block-Review 10:10-11:20 2nd Morning Block Review 11:25 – 1:05 4th period review “A” Lunch 11:25 – 11:55 Class 12:00 – 1:05 Class 11:25 – 12:00 “B” Lunch 12:00 – 12:30 Class 12:35 – 1:05 Class 11:25 – 12:35 “C” Lunch 12:35 – 1:05 1:10-1:30 2nd Morning Block Review 1:35-1:55 5th period review 2:00-3:55 6th PERIOD EXAM Wednesday June 1 8:55-10:50 1st MORNING BLOCK EXAM 10:55 – 1:25 2nd MORNING BLOCK EXAM (10:55-11:25 Lunch in room) (1:25 School Dismissal) Thursday June 2 8:55 – 10:50 4th PERIOD EXAM 10:55 – 1:25 5th PERIOD EXAM (10:55-11:25 Lunch in room) (1:25 School Dismissal)
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titan tribune New Stop Time for the 2016-17 School Year Adds 15 Minutes to End of School Day for all Students Fort Bend ISD revises original plan to add 20 minutes FORT BEND ISD – After further review and consideration, Fort Bend ISD will add 15 minutes to the end of the instructional school day for the 2016-17 school year for all grade levels. Initially, the District planned to increase the school day by 20 minutes, with instruction beginning five minutes earlier and ending fifteen minutes later at the elementary and middle school levels, and adding 20 minutes to the end of the day at the high school level. However, after further review and consideration, it became apparent transportation costs to accommodate the 20-minute addition amounted to significantly more than expected. The addition of 15 minutes to the end of the school day creates a schedule that is more cost effective, but still allows for extra instructional time. 2016-17 Start and Stop Times* *updated May 2016
High School Elementary School Middle School
MY DENTAL SUGAR LAND
Start Time 7:30 a.m. 8:10 a.m. 8:55 a.m.
Finish Time 2:45 p.m. 3:25 p.m. 4:10 p.m.
The District’s calendar fulfills new rules written by the Texas Education Agency to support implementation of House Bill 2610, which defines the minimal amount of student instruction by minutes, rather than days. House Bill 2610 also allows districts to build in up to two inclement weather days that do not have to be made up should Fort Bend ISD have to close school for bad weather or other unforeseen disasters. By adding the additional 15 minutes at all levels, the District will meet the state-mandated minutes of instruction and also absorb two bad-weather makeup days. “We understand that even the slightest change to a school day can significantly impact our students, staff members, and parents, which is why our District carefully considered options as we developed the 2016-17 District calendar,” said Dr. Christie Whitbeck, Deputy Superintendent of Fort Bend ISD. “As the administration moved forward with plans to extend the school day by 20 minutes, it became apparent that another slight modification was necessary due to unanticipated increased transportation costs. The modification from 20 minutes to 15 will allow us to use taxpayer dollars in a way that is fiscally prudent while still optimizing student instruction in the classroom. We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding.”
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