Here are some easy access links to help make things easier

Hello Smallville! 

We are approaching our final school tour on Monday, and as always, Smallville remains a popular choice for middle school. This is a testament to our incredible teaching staff, whose dedication and passion create a nurturing and dynamic learning environment. It is also a reflection of our amazing Cougars, whose enthusiasm, hard work, and commitment to excellence make our school a standout in the community. Thank you to Ms. Jennifer Newell and our student leaders who organize and lead our campus tours in such a positive and inspiring manner! 

As we prepare to enter February, we’re looking forward to slightly better weather and the fresh opportunities that a new month brings. January has been a busy and productive time, and our students continue to impress in and out of the classroom. 

On the athletic front, our boy's basketball and girls' soccer teams are proving to be top-class competitors and true winners. Their hard work, sportsmanship, and teamwork have been on full display, and we are beyond proud of their efforts. They continue to showcase the Cougar spirit in every game they play, demonstrating resilience and dedication. I can’t wait to see more wins pour in!

As always, thank you for your continued support in making Smallville the incredible school that it is. Your involvement and encouragement mean the world to our staff and students. Let’s continue to make each week better than the last!

Have an amazing weekend! 

Stay Present Cougars,

Bedford

New Deadline for Current 6th Grade Cougars is 2/4/25 by the end of the day. 

Most students submitted their choice sheets yesterday or will submit today. Once the student submits you will receive and email from Small Middle School with the subject 7th Grade Choice Sheets - New Response Received. Both you and your student can edit responses as many times as you like until the end of the day next Tuesday. If for some reason the link does not allow you to edit, please ask to use your student's Chromebook and change it with them on their account. 

Please reach out to sierra.moran@austinisd.org if you have any questions about rising 7th grade choice sheets. 

6th & 8th grade choice sheets are due today. If your student has not turned in their choice sheets to their counselor, go to the counseling page on the website for choice sheets and Course descriptions and email them to your counselors ASAP.

Green Tech Academy Deadline is TUESDAY 2/4/25!

• Need help with Choice Sheets?

• Questions about School Supplies

• How to apply to Green Tech..

• Register for Cougar Transition camp!

Did you know there is a "New to Small" page on our website? It is updated with everything you need to know about transition to Small next year. Check it out!

Parent Volunteers Needed - Please sign up here:
Sign Up Genius for parents to help with the dance (wristbands, donations, chaperone): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C49A8A82FABFE3-54785185-valentines

Dear Small Middle School Parents/Guardians:

The Texas Education Agency has launched the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness Interim Assessment as a tool to help educators tailor the instructional practice to address students’ needs. This is made possible because the student’s relative strength or weakness in each reporting category will be available for teachers to analyze.

This interim test aims to help improve student scores on the actual STAAR exams in April. The assessments include some former STAAR items as well as questions with the new types of interactions (inline choice, drag and drop, graphing, etc) and gives the students the ability to practice with the online STAAR interface before the April administration. For more information about the new types of questions, CLICK HERE.

The district has chosen to participate in administering the exams districtwide. Interim assessments will be administered on campuses in the month of February for all tested subjects (6-8 Math and Reading; 8th Science and Social Studies). 

Week of February 4-9

• 8th grade Science - Tuesday, February 4

• 8th grade Social Studies - Wednesday, February 5

• MAKEUP TESTING - Thursday, February 6

Week of February 10-14

• ALL grades Math - Wednesday, February 12

• ALL grades Reading - Thursday, February 13

• MAKEUP TESTING - Friday, February 14

ALL SCHOLARS MUST BRING THEIR CHARGED DEVICES AS TESTING WILL TAKE PLACE ONLINE. 

STAAR TESTING CANNOT TAKE PLACE ON PERSONAL DEVICES - STUDENTS MUST USE AISD CHROMEBOOKS FOR ALL ASSESSMENTS!

Parents are asked to encourage their child to treat this interim assessment as if it were the real STAAR test. By using the test taking strategies they normally would on test day, students can best prepare themselves for success on STAAR and can help to foster a positive testing environment for their PRIDE class. 

Testing Tips:

1. Plan an early bedtime the night before the test to ensure that your child has a restful night's sleep.

2. Arrive to school before the first bell rings at 8:15 AM.

3. A healthy breakfast is crucial for optimal performance. Make sure your child eats breakfast before dropping them off.

4. Motivate with positive words! Speak to your child about doing his/her best on the test.

5. Remind your child to take his/her time during the test. Rushing leads to careless mistakes!

6. For those students with accommodations, encourage your child to practice using these features on the assessment so that they become comfortable with the integrated systems.

Best Regards,

Rebecca Smootz
Campus Testing Coordinator - Small MS

Link to StuCo application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpOyrYJNaNb9PorsOMCs8luZ5qCFcUtl2D3wm9Mv4ywv1IpA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Rally Day

PTA General Assembly Meeting & Trivia Night Feb 19

Mark your calendars and plan to bring the family!  More info to come soon.

Courtyard Clean Up Feb 2

We are excited to have students using the courtyard soon for lunch! Check out this sign up to see what tasks we'll be working on during the cleanup this Sunday. Sign up to help out!

Faculty Lounge Snack Donations-

Going to the grocery store this weekend? Pick up some snacks to help stock the Faculty Lounge and keep our teachers fueled! Drop off anytime at the front of the school with the label "Faculty Lounge Snacks. All items should be snack size or individually wrapped. Suggested items include: chips, granola bars, trail mix, cookies, crackers, nuts, jerky, etc.

Spirit Night at VIA 313

Unfortunately VIA 313 has had to cancel our February Spirit Night due to construction delays.  We hope to reschedule for later in the spring and will share details when they're available.

Faculty Lounge Snack Donations

Going to the grocery store this weekend? Pick up some snacks to help stock the Faculty Lounge and keep our teachers fueled! Drop off anytime at the front of the school with the label "Faculty Lounge Snacks. All items should be snack size or individually wrapped. Suggested items include: chips, granola bars, trail mix, cookies, crackers, nuts, jerky, etc.

Cougar Cage

Students love shopping at the Cougar Cage! Help keep it running by signing up to work a shift or shopping from the wishlist. February and March dates have now been added to the sign up.

Sponsor Shout Out

New this year, you can put an add for your business, or cheer on your 8th grader on to high school in the 2024-2025 yearbook!

3 easy steps

• Choose your ad size and layout

• Add your photo

• Enter your text

Price: $25.00
Deadline: 02/13/25

ENROLLMENT is NOW OPEN! Enroll with $95 to reserve your spot!

**Enroll by Sept. 22nd for $200 off.

*Repeat travelers, as usual, add an extra $100 off.

🇬🇷🇮🇹 GREECE & ITALY WEBSITE & ENROLLMENT: https://www.eftours.com/tour-website/2817051TA

🇯🇵 JAPAN WEBSITE & ENROLLMENT: https://www.eftours.com/tour-website/2805919DV

• Affordable bi-weekly or monthly plans. 

• Want to save up and pay in lump sums as you go? You can choose to do that too. 

• Free personal fundraising page for your student!

• Earn $1,000 EF scholarship!

These two itineraries were picked with a lot of thought put into them. Students (and adults!) will get to see so many iconic places on tour, including a great number of World Heritage Sites. The hands-on experiences chosen are great as well, the landmarks we'll visit, and the sights you'll see are all world-class: From the Island of Capri "faraglione" to the Acropolis, to swimming on Heraklion beaches in Crete, to stepping on Kyoto's most amazing temple - a national treasure itself, to visiting technology museums in Tokyo and Japanese gardens in Osaka, walking in the steps of Gladiators in the Colosseum and Roman Forum, or learning about how Pompeii got buried in ashes with Mount Vesuvius in the background, or stepping into Delphi and learning about oracles in Greece, it's going to be amazing!

Reach out any time with any and all questions, or to schedule a chat!

Mariel Early 

mariel.early@austinisd.org 

512-841-6700 Ext. 70774 / Conference: 2:30-4:00 pm

This section is for anything outside of Small that you might be interested in.