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Dr. Shane Harwood
Principal
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Weekly Parent Communication
Week 27
Celebrations
- Congratulations to sophomore, Jeffrey Lin, as he recently scored a perfect 36 on the ACT!
- Congratulations to our HS Wrestling Team as they placed 2nd in the State this week!A big congratulations also to Ethan Uhorchuk, Caleb Uhorchuk, and Daniel Uhrochuk as they finished as 1st Place medalists, to Preston Worley who placed 2nd, to Kevin Muschel who placed 3rd, to Noah Shriner and Kale Albritton who placed 4th, and to Brock Shipley who placed 6th!Congratulations to all, and a big thanks to Coach Jellison, Coach Thompson, and others who led and supported our team this season!
- Congratulations to our HS Mock Trial teams on another successful season as our teams finished 3rd, 6th, and 22nd place overall in the TN HS Mock Trial Competition!A big congratulations to Camille Schmied as she was recognized as the 2nd Best Witness in the East division and to all of our students who were recognized for accolades in their roles including Carson Bock, Kaitlyn Castellanet, Abby Frank, Caroline Burns, Lainey Jenkins, Camille Scmied, Alexia Apablaza, Adrian Andreescu, William Wright, Oliver Bradley-Shoup, Logan Dapp, Weston Livingood, Olivia Glover, and Lydia Miller!Thanks also to all of our students, parents, and coaches including Charlie Poss, James Brooks, Sydney Selman, and Mrs. Whitney for making this season possible!
- Congratulations to Amy Roberson, Zander Moody, Jack Hurst, Willow Solomon, Billy Wooden, Ben Allen, Brandon Klapper, and Cleo Cofer as they have been recognized as our February IB Open Mindedness recipients!
- Congratulations to our MS and HS Climbing Club teams on another successful season!Our MS Team finished tied for 2nd place overall and our HS Team finished tied for 3rd overall!Fin Dodson, Mariah Laux, and Luke Burden all qualified to compete in the ICL Finals today!We want to thank our students, our parents, and Ms. Horn for all of their efforts and teamwork in making this great season possible!
- Congratulations to Mrs. Baxley as she was recently recognized as the HS Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Council for Social Studies!
New Information
March 1 through March 5 – Phase 3
- March 1 through March 5 – Phase 3 – As announced this week by HCS, our schools will operate in Phase 3 next week.In Phase 3, all of our HS and MS in person students in grades 6-12 will attend school in person 5 days each week.This week’s class schedule will be EVEN, ODD, EVEN, ODD, and EVEN.Please note that although some HCS schools are taking the ACT on March 2, SMMHS is NOT taking the ACT on this day, but will instead be taking the ACT and the Pre-ACT exams on March 16 as previously communicated and referenced again below.Therefore, March 2 will be a regular school day for all students in grades 6-12 at SMMHS.
- In following our established procedures, all HCSatHome students will follow their daily schedule and are expected to log in to participate in live class Zooms at the beginning of each class period each day.
- All Zoom log in information and assignments continue to be posted weekly in ManageBac.
- Any students who do not log in to participate in live class Zooms and are not completing their assignments posted in ManageBac will be marked absent.Students who are chronically absent will be referred to our school social worker.
- As previously shared, the district plans to announce each week’s phase on each preceding Tuesday.
Student Course Selections for the 2021-2022 School Year
- Course Selection Forms were completed this week by students and their parents for the 2021-2022 school year. Students will automatically receive a copy of their completed course selection form via email. Once the class choices are entered in Powerschool later this spring, parents and students will be able to view these selections within Powerschool under the Class Registration tab.
- If parents/students wish to make a change after submitting the Google form, they will need to do so by emailing their grade level counselor.
- To access previously shared course selection resources available on our School Counseling webpage, please CLICK HERE.
- Current 5th Grade Student Course Selections – Ms. Donen, 6th grade School Counselor, and Band director, Mr. Buckner, visited 5th grade classes at Nolan and Thrasher this week. To learn more about the SMMHS 6th grade curriculum, registration, and all things middle school, view the virtual Rising 6th Grade Level Meeting below. Ms. Donen will host office hours for additional questions on March 2 and 3 from 12-1 pm via Zoom. Meeting ID: 965 3432 3609 Passcode: 380269 Rising 6th Grade-Level Meeting 2021-2022. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Donen at donen_a@hcde.org.
- Upcoming 7th Grade Foreign Language Choices will be made later in the spring in order for 6th graders to have time to experience all three language offerings.
- If you have questions regarding the registration process, please contact Mrs. Donen (Grade 6 and Grade 7 Last Names K-Z) at donen_a@hcde.org, Mrs. Flowers (Grade 8 and Grade 7 Last Names A-J) at flowers_s@hcde.org, Mrs. Sharpe (Grades 9 and 10) at sharpe_l@hcde.org, or Dr. Dagnan (Grades 11 and 12) at dagnan_s@hcde.org.
State ACT Exam for 11th Grade Students at SMMHS on March 16
- MS Baseball tryouts will take place on March 1 for students in grades 6 through 8.Students will meet at the baseball field pavilion and must have their masks and baseball gear for their tryout date.If there is inclement weather, additional information may be shared.
- 6th Grade tryouts will take place on March 1 from 3:00 to 4:00.
- 7th Grade tryouts will take place on March 1 from 4:30 to 6:00.
- Pitchers and catchers will then start throwing after school on March 2.
- Please note that any student trying out must have an updated physical uploaded to Dragon Fly. If you need directions regarding Dragon Fly, please visit our school website and click on the “Athletics” tab.
- If you have questions, please contact Coach Roberson at roberson_m@hcde.org.
MS Golf Tryouts
- MS Golf tryouts will take place on Monday March 1 at the indoor hitting facility from 3:30 to 6:00 and Tuesday, March 2 through Friday, March 5 at the Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club Driving Range from 3:30 to 6:00.
- Families will need to check the SMMHS MS Golf website page for your student’s individual tryout location, date, and time.Those trying out should arrive on time and plan to be there for at least 30 minutes that will include 15 minutes of warm-up and 15 minutes with Coach Mitchell trying out.
- If a location or time changes due to weather, Coach Mitchell will share that information via the SMMHS MS Golf website page and parents should also check the site periodically for any additional information and announcements.
- Please note that any student trying out must have an updated physical uploaded to Dragon Fly. If you need directions regarding Dragon Fly, please visit our school website and click on the “Athletics” tab.
- If you have questions, please contact Coach Mitchell at mitchell_r@hcde.org.
MS Track and Field Practices
- MS Track and Field practices will begin on Monday, March 8 at 3:00.Any students planning to participate must sign up on the MS Track and Field webpage that can be accessed through the SMMHS school website.
- Please note that any student participating must have an updated physical uploaded to Dragon Fly. If you need directions regarding Dragon Fly, please visit our school website and click on the “Athletics” tab.
- If you have questions, please contact Coach Ling at ling_cliff@hcde.org.
MS Boys and Girls Basketball Pictures and Uniform Turn-In
- MS Boys and Girls Basketball pictures and uniform turn-in will take place right after school on Monday, March 1 I the MS Gym.All players should plan to be in attendance and should have their practice and game uniforms ready to turn in.
Mountain Education Foundation (MEF) Information and News
- We want to remind everyone of the important role that the Mountain Education Foundation (MEF) plays in the success of our Signal Mountain Schools!
- #MEFdonorsarethebest!!! We want to thank everyone for your support as we were able to reach our 25K match goals for this year!
- If you missed the match and still want to give to the Annual Fund, please do! Your generosity is what provides our school with additional teachers, resources and more that we would not have without your support. Thank you for showing we LOVE our SCHOOLS!
- If you have not yet become a monthly donor, or would like to make a one-time gift, please visit www.meftoday.org or email Hilarie Robison at hrobison@meftoday.org. Every donation is appreciated and much needed!
Reminder Information
Schedule
- Our school day continues to be from 7:45 am until 2:45 pm each day for all in person and HCSatHome students.We will run a block schedule each day with all students following their regular daily schedule to attend classes in person or participate via Zoom.
- All in person students must come to school each day with their charged Chromebook and all HCSatHome and virtual students must be dressed and logged into their class Zooms each day on time at the beginning of each class period from an area in their home that is conducive to learning.
HCSatHome
- Live Class Zooms – A reminder that all HCSatHome students should be following their regular daily schedule and attending live class Zooms for all of their classes each day. Live class Zooms typically last for 20 minutes or longer depending on the class and activity and students are expected to log in and participate with their in person classmates. Students who are not completing their work, and not attending live class Zooms, will be marked absent for those days.
- Work Completion – Students are expected to complete and submit assignments posted in ManageBac each week by the designated due dates. If a student has a question about an assignment, they can ask their teachers during their daily live class Zooms or email their teachers.
- MEF Learning Center Tutoring Support – Tutoring support for our in person students and our HCSatHome students continues to be available throughout the day and afterschool on select days. For more information, or to schedule a tutoring session, please contact our Learning Center Coordinator, Abbey Duncan, at duncan_abbey@hcde.org.
- Chromebooks – Parents, if you have not done so already, please take a moment to complete the following short Google Form regarding your student’s school-issued Chromebook. To access the form, please CLICK HERE.
- If you need help with establishing a routine at home for your HCSatHome student, or have questions, please contact your student’s teachers or Mrs. Mulloy at mulloy_allison@hcde.org.
AM Arrival
- Car Riders – Car riders continue to only be able to exit their cars to enter the building at 7:30 am.Please note that this includes both our front AM HS car line and our rear AM MS car line.
- Reminder signage will be posted, and it is imperative that parents do not unload students until 7:30 am when our duty administrators and teachers are on duty.As students exit their cars, they must have their masks on and enter the building to report directly to their first class each morning. During our arrival time from 7:30 am to 7:45 am, our students will begin their morning work, complete tasks from the day before, etc.Cell phones will not be allowed during this morning time.
- Bus Riders – Bus riders will be allowed to exit the buses and enter the building at 7:15 am as our buses must leave to meet the scheduled pick up times for their AM elementary routes.Students who ride buses arriving between 7:15 am and 7:30 am will report directly to the HS gym (HS Students and 8th Grade Students) or MS gym (6th and 7th Grade Students).The students will set in designated areas, with their masks on, and exercising social distancing for a short period of time before being released to their classrooms at 7:30 am.Any students who arrive by bus after 7:30 am will report directly to their first class.
- Student Drivers – To reduce the number of students entering the building at once, our student drivers will remain in their cars until our parking lot duty teachers dismiss them by lots to begin entering the building at 7:30 am. Each lot will continue to have a designated door to enter for social distancing.
Logistical Reminders
- AM and PM Car Rider Arrival Timing – We need all car rider parents to plan your AM arrival between 7:30 am and 7:40 am each morning and between 2:45 pm and 2:55 pm each afternoon. At this time, our lines are moving and parents can come in and out quickly to drop off our pick up your students without backing our car lines up or impeding our bus traffic, teacher traffic, etc. For those who are already arriving at these times, you are already seeing how quickly the car lines are moving due to less students being on campus each day and our established procedures. Thanks in advance for continuing to do your part each morning and afternoon!
- HCSatHome and A/B Students Returning to School for Afterschool Activities – For student safety, and to help with traffic, students learning virtually on a given day should not return to school for afterschool practices or activities until 3:00 pm each afternoon. Please note that this includes student drivers and parent dropping their students off for afterschool activities.
COVID Procedural Updates
- Positive COVID Cases During Phase 2 or Phase 3– With students returning to school in person, we will resume our communications regarding any in person students who test positive.This communication will include a general email to all families and phone contact with any family who has a student considered a close contact through contact tracing.
- Quarantine During Phase 2 or Phase 3 and Return to School – If someone in your family must quarantine during Phase 2 or Phase 3, please be mindful of the necessity of following all quarantine guidelines.During quarantine, students are expected to continue their studies as long as they are feeling well.With learning phase announcements coming each week, please be mindful that if anyone in your family receives a positive COVID result at any time, you must still contact Nurse Snyder immediately to share those results and initiate next steps.As always, do not send your student to school, athletics, or activities if he/she has symptoms and is not feeling well, has tested positive, is a close contact, or anyone in your household is awaiting testing.The current quarantine period for positive cases is now 10 days after the first date of symptoms or after the date the person was tested if they were asymptomatic.
- Rapid Testing Pilot – Rapid COVID testing is now available at every HCS school for staff and students who become symptomatic while at school.These tests are voluntary with parental consent forms that are available through the Power School Parent Portal or by hard copy from the school nurse.Parents can choose to be present or not when their child is tested.Testing is free and administered by our school nurses with results in approximately 20 minutes.If you have questions regarding the Rapid Testing Pilot, please contact Nurse Snyder at snyder_pam@hcde.org or Nurse Triplett at triplett_b@hcde.org.
Indoor Athletics Updates
- To connect with our grade level counselors, please contact Mrs. Donen (Grade 6 and Grade 7 Last Names K-Z) at donen_a@hcde.org, Mrs. Flowers (Grade 8 and Grade 7 Last Names A-J) at flowers_s@hcde.org, Mrs. Sharpe (Grades 9 and 10) at sharpe_l@hcde.org, or Dr. Dagnan (Grades 11 and 12) at dagnan_s@hcde.org.
- With the Governor’s Executive Order 74 ending on Monday, February 1, cheerleaders, pep bands, and the general public will now be allowed to attend athletic contests.
- As of now, all indoor athletic and afterschool events are now limited to 200 total spectators (UPDATED REQUIREMENT NUMBER AS OF JANUARY 29).This will apply to all HS and MS Basketball games, HS and MS Wrestling matches, MS Volleyball matches, etc.
- MS Athletics and HS Wrestling Tickets – For all indoor/outdoor MS athletic events, HS Wrestling Contests, and other on campus programs and events, spectators must purchase digital tickets online to attend.With only 200 tickets available, all spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets well before each contest to ensure entry.To purchase MS Athletic Event tickets, please visit our school website or CLICK HERE.To purchase HS Wrestling tickets, please visit our school website or CLICK HERE.
- HS Athletics Tickets – For all indoor/outdoor HS athletic events, all spectators must purchase digital tickets online to attend.With only 200 tickets available, all spectators are encouraged to purchase tickets well before each contest to ensure entry.To purchase HS Athletic Event tickets, please visit our school website or www.gofan.co and search for “Signal Mountain Middle High School”.
- Seating, Masks, and Temperature Checks – For social distancing, most contests will take place in the HS gym with seating clearly marked.Seating keys will be posted showing spectators where to sit (green marks placed 6 feet apart) and where they cannot sit (red Xs on unavailable rows).Per the district and TSSAA, all spectators are required to wear masks at all times and will be screened with temperature checks before being allowed to enter the venue.
- Please note that digital tickets will be available for purchase online at least 24 hours prior to each contest, and sometimes earlier.If our teams are playing an away contest, our coaches typically receive ticketing information from that school and share that information with their families.If you have questions about tickets for away contests, please contact your student’s coach for information.
Zoom Behavior Expectations
- As we transition to having more students learning from home on certain days during Phase 2, please take some time to remind your students of our shared expectations for student behavior during live class Zoom sessions.
- Initial Login – All students must log in to their class Zooms at the beginning of each class following their regular schedule. Students must be logging in with their HCDE student account as an authenticated user. Attendance is taken, and teachers will require students to turn their cameras on and have their correct name listed to confirm they are in attendance. Any student not logging on correctly will not be allowed to enter the Zoom and will be marked absent.
- Logging Into Unassigned Zooms – Students are only to log in to Zooms for their scheduled classes at their scheduled class times. Any students who log in to an unassigned Zoom will have disciplinary consequences. This is learning time and disruptions will not be tolerated.
- Appropriate Zoom Behavior – Students are expected to exhibit school-appropriate behaviors during all Zooms. If students are found to be doing anything inappropriate or being disruptive to learning in any way, disciplinary consequences will be given. Virtual days are school days and all students are expected to behave, participate, and work accordingly.
Virtual Learning Days – During Phase 3, 2, or 1 – Scheduled or Unscheduled
Chromebook Troubleshooting
- If a student has a Chromebook issue during virtual learning, the student should contact Mrs. Roddy at roddy_shannon@hcde.org for troubleshooting assistance.
- If a family needs to file an insurance claim, or has insurance questions, the family can visit www.smarttechins.com/Hamilton or call (877) 307-6777.
- If a student needs to turn in a Chromebook for repair, Mrs. Roddy will coordinate meeting the student or parent at the school during her open office hours.
Learning Center Tutoring Support
- Tutoring support for our in person students and our HCSatHome students continues to be available throughout the day and afterschool on select days. For more information, or to schedule a tutoring session, please contact our Learning Center Coordinator, Abbey Duncan, at duncan_abbey@hcde.org.
ACT Prep for 11th Grade Students
- ACT Prep classes began this week during Directed Studies (4th Block) for our junior students.Classes are currently taking place via Zoom for all students as we continue learn virtually, but they will take place in person during DS when we return to in person learning.When we do return to in person learning, our HCSatHome students will continue to participate via Zoom as posted in ManageBac.
- The 30-minute lessons will concentrate on specific subject area testing strategies and will utilize “The Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep” text recently distributed to students.Lessons will take place on Mondays and Fridays during DS through March 12 in preparation for next ACT Test Date of March 16.
- To participate, students must have a hard copy of the test prep book and log into the Zoom sessions posted on ManageBac.Just like their regular classes, students must log in with their authenticated HCDE student account, have their correct name listed, turn their camera on for attendance purposes, and exhibit school-appropriate behavior throughout.Students not logging in correctly will not be allowed to enter the sessions.
- If a student missed our last textbook pickup day, a few copies are still available for pickup in the Main Office between the hours of 8:00 and 2:30.
- If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Goza at goza_michael@hcde.org or Mrs. Stubblefield at stubblefield_c@hcde.org.
Foreign Language Tutoring Opportunities
- Our Language Acquisition Department continues to provide free tutoring support to students in grades 6 through 12 in Spanish, French, and German!
- All tutoring for this year will take place virtually via Zoom with our in person students and HCS@Home students able to participate.
- Tutoring via Zoom will take place on Tuesdays at 3:15 pm with Ms. Meznar providing French and Spanish tutoring on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month and Mr. Hudson providing German tutoring on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.
- To access the tutoring sessions, students will log into Zoom and use Meeting ID 947 4937 1778 and Passcode SMMHSlang.
- If you have questions regarding tutoring, please contact Ms. Meznar at meznar_c@hcde.org or Mr. Hudson at hudson_t@hcde.org.
TN Promise FAFSA Deadline Extension
- Due to the pandemic, the deadlines for the Tennessee Promise Scholarship FAFSA and the Priority FAFSA Tennessee Student Assistance Award have been extended to March 1, 2021.
- If families need assistance while completing the FAFSA, Tennessee Student Assistant Corporation (TSAC) representatives are available M-TH from 8:00 am CST to 7:00 pm CST, on Fridays from 8:00 am CST to 4:00 pm CST, and on Saturdays from 10:00 am CST to 3:00 pm CST by calling the FAFSA hotline at 615-350-8668.
- If you have questions about TN Promise, FAFSA, scholarships, etc., please contact Mrs. Mitchum at mitchum_s@hcde.org or Dr. Dagnan at dagnan_s@hcde.org.
SMMHS Athletic Contests Available via Pixellot Streaming
- We are excited to announce that our athletic events and contests taking place in our HS gym and football stadium will now be streamed live over the internet for viewers at home through Pixellot and the NHFS Network.
- This is a subscription-based service that is available for one year ($69.99) or month to month ($10.99 per month).This subscription is great for families choosing to watch contests and events from home, still being able to watch due to facility spectator limitations, and great for out-of-town grandparents!
- To subscribe, please visit https://www.nfhsnetwork.com to sign up and choose your plan.You will search for “Signal Mountain” as you register, but your subscription will also give you access to any school’s events across the nation who are on the network.
- In addition to the convenience of live streaming, a portion of each subscription is returned to the school to benefit our programs.Advertising opportunities will also be available for those businesses that want to reach our audience and support our school programs.
- If you have questions, or want to explore advertising opportunities, please contact Coach Redman at redman_s@hcde.org.
Calendar Items
Monday, March 1 through Friday, March 5 – Phase 3
Monday, March 1
- MS Volleyball – Home
- MS Boys and Girls Basketball Pictures and Uniform Turn-In – 2:45 – MS Gym
Tuesday, March 2
- Regular School Day for ALL SMMHS Students – No ACT Testing
- MS Volleyball – Home
Wednesday, March 3
- All 11th Grade Students Complete Required ACT Registration and Paperwork
- MS Volleyball – TBA
Thursday, March 4
Friday, March 5
Saturday, March 6