Principals Corner

Weekly Parent Communication

Week 5

Celebrations

Congratulations to Aoife Davis and Connor Pogue as they recently participated in the National History Bee and National Geography Bee in Washington, DC! Aoife earned National Semi-Finalist recognition and ranked 11^th nationally! Aoife is now qualified to compete in the International History Olympiad and International Geography World Championships hosted in Quebec, Canada in autumn of 2022! Congratulations to both Aoife and Connor!

New Information

COVID Procedural Information and Updates

Please see any new or updated COVID procedures that have been added to our current SMMHS and district COVID procedures below.
Select Schools Shifting to Remote Learning – As previously shared by the district, select HCS schools may have to shift to remote learning based on each individual school’s COVID data. If a school must shift to remote learning, it would be for a limited number of days and communication would be shared with the staff, students, and families. Specifics regarding each day’s schedule, teaching and learning activities, etc. would be shared by that school.
Close Contact Quarantine Exceptions – As previously shared, we want to remind everyone that there are currently 3 scenarios in which students are not required to quarantine if they are considered close contacts. Those are 1) the close contact being fully vaccinated (at least 2 weeks past having both doses), 2) if the positive person was wearing a mask AND the close contact was wearing a mask, and 3) if the close contact has tested positive for COVID within the past 90 days.
Vaccination Events – The Hamilton County Health Department continues to offer vaccination events on different days in different locations throughout our county. To access that information, please CLICK HERE
To access our current SMMHS COVID procedures, please CLICK HERE. To access the HCS Re-Opening Plan 2.0, please CLICK HERE. To access the HCS COVID-19 Dashboard, please CLICK HERE.

PSAT Testing Information

The PSAT will be offered at SMMHS on Tuesday, October 26 and the $18 PSAT fee is due by September 10.
The PSAT is optional for 11^th, 10^th, and 9^th graders. Any students seeking to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program must take the PSAT in 11^th grade.
To register your student to take the PSAT, parents can pay the $18 fee through our school web site online purchasing option or by CLICKING HERE. Once the fee is paid, there are no additional steps to take other than being prepared to take the test on October 26.
Online practice materials will be emailed to students once the payment deadline is closed, and a link to the study guide can also be found by CLICKING HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Sharp at sharpe_l@hcde.org.

Language Acquisition Tutoring

Afterschool tutoring provided by our Language Acquisition Department will begin next week.
All tutoring sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 3:00 to 4:00 with support for different languages being offered on different days.
German tutoring will be available on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of each month in Mr. Hudson’s classroom. If you have questions about German tutoring, please contact Mr. Hudson at hudson_t@hcde.org.
Spanish and French tutoring will be available on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of each month in Ms. Meznar’s classroom. If you have questions about Spanish and French tutoring, please contact Ms. Meznar at meznar_c@hcde.org.
Additional language acquisition tutoring opportunities may also be available through the Learning Center with peer tutors. If you have questions, please contact Ms. Duncan at duncan_abbey@hcde.org.

TN Promise Scholarship Information

The window for students to complete the TN Promise scholarship application is still open with the deadline being November 1.
To access the application, please CLICK HERE.
For more information on requirements and deadlines, please CLICK HERE.
If you have questions related to TN Promise or other college and scholarship information, please contact Mrs. Mitchum at mitchum_s@hcde.org.

Swim and Dive Club

The Swim and Dive Club will have a virtual parent information and registration meeting on Wednesday, September 15 at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held via Zoom with the Meeting ID 362 955 7870.
The Swim and Dive season will begin in late October, and both year-round and recreational athletes are welcome.
If you have questions prior to the meeting, please email smmhs.swim.dive@gmail.com.

MS Model UN

Any students in grades 6 through 8 interested in participating in Model UN must pick up a packet from Mrs. Brock or Mr. Poss and return it to them completed.
This year’s event will take place virtually on September 18, and there is no charge to participate and no preparation needed ahead of time.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Brock at brock_jamie@hcde.org.

Creative Writing Club

Any students interested in joining the Creative Writing Club should sign up outside Mrs. Brock’s room and plan to attend the first meeting of the year on September 20 at 2:45 pm in Mrs. Brock’s room. The club will then meet on Mondays from 2:45 to 3:30.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Brock at brock_jamie@hcde.org.

Chess Club

The Chess Club will begin meeting on Mondays from 2:45 to 3:30 in Mrs. Brock’s room.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Brock at brock_jamie@hcde.org.

Tabletop Games Club

Students interested in playing tabletop games such as UNO, Monopoly, Magic the Gathering, etc. are invited to join the Tabletop Games Club. The first meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 15 right after school in Ms. Retchko’s classroom.
If you have questions, please contact Ms. Retchko or Mr. Greer.

Reminder Information

Mountain Education Foundation (MEF) Information

We want to remind everyone of the important role that the Mountain Education Foundation (MEF) plays in the success of our Signal Mountain Schools!
Please be on the lookout for upcoming events sponsored by MEF!
MEF New Families Ice Cream Social – All of our families new to Signal Mountain are invited to an ice cream social hosted by MEF! The event will take place on Saturday, September 11 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Althaus Park Pavilion located at 809 James Blvd. behind the country club.
Interested in making a quick one-time gift? Stop by the main office at SMMHS, Nolan, and Thrasher and donate with your card via the Dip Jar! Each Dip Jar accepts one-time donations of $25 to benefit our Signal Mountain schools through MEF!
If you have not yet become a monthly donor, would like to make a one-time gift, or want to learn more about the many ways that MEF supports all of our students at our Signal Mountain schools, please visit www.meftoday.org or email Hilarie Robison at hrobison@meftoday.org. Every donation is appreciated and much needed!

Previously Shared Weekly Parent Communication Reminders

To access a list of reminders previously shared in our Weekly Parent Communications, please CLICK HERE.

Calendar Items

Monday, September 13

Tuesday, September 14

Wednesday, September 15

Thursday, September 16

Friday, September 17

Saturday, September 18

HS Band – Cleveland Marching Band Exhibition – Cleveland H

Signal Mountain Middle High School