Clint Small Middle School Weekly Newsletter
Week of September 2, 2024
Cougar News
Reminder... No School on Monday! Happy Labor Day!
A Letter from Ms. Bedford
Hello Smallville,
It was a true pleasure to see so many of you at our Back to School Night! I hope you had the chance to explore your Cougar’s classes and get a glimpse of the exciting activities and opportunities that await us this year.
I am thrilled about the enthusiasm and energy our students are bringing to the new school year. They are already engaged and eager to learn, and their excitement is contagious. It’s clear that our students are ready to dive into their learning and be active members of our campus.
As we continue to build on this positive momentum, I encourage you to become an integral part of Smallville by joining the PTA. Your involvement not only supports our programs but also strengthens the connection between home and school. Additionally, please sign up for the new AISD app to stay informed about all campus events and important updates. This resource will keep you connected to the campus.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we can make this year an extraordinary one for our students! Enjoy your 3 day weekend. There is no School on Monday!
Stay Present Cougars,
Bedford
Picture Day This Week!
September 4th & 5th
During Social Studies/History Classes
Dust off your finest duds for this year's Picture Day! Photos will be taken during your Social Studies or History class, so your scheduled day will depend on whether you have SS/History on A days or B days.
Don't miss out on capturing those school memories!
Parent Portal Grade Check Meetings
Hello wonderful 6th grade families,
Are you feeling overwhelmed by all of the digital systems in middle school such as Frontline/SIS and BLEND? The 6th grade team is excited to offer an optional virtual parent meeting on September 4th (6:00pm in English and 6:30pm in Spanish) to review how to use these online systems. We will review the following topics:
What is Frontline/SIS and how do you access it?
How do you check and understand your child’s grades?
How do you use Frontline to set up grade and attendance alerts?
What next steps can you take if you notice an issue with your child’s grades or attendance?
Click here to register for the event, please scan the QR code below.
Thanks,
Your 6th grade Team
PTA Spirit Night
AISD App - New way to communicate
It's here! The new Newsletter! I hope it will be as smooth as the old. Be sure to tell your friends to download the app so they can have access. Honestly, the more we play with it, the more we like it. Check it out TODAY!
What’s Changing?
Goodbye SMORE, Hello AISD App! The AISD app will now be our primary method for sharing information about Small Middle School.
New Newsletter Format: Our weekly newsletters will be created in Thrillshare and sent directly to Parent/guardian email (only) AND the AISD app.
How to Stay Updated:
Current Parents and Staff: Download the new AISD app and follow Small Middle School to get all updates.
Other Community Members: If you're a step-parent, grandparent, future parent, or simply interested in Small Middle School, download the app and follow us to stay informed.
App Features:
Follow Multiple Schools: Once you have the app, you can follow all the schools your children attend.
Customize Your Feed: You can set your preferred school as the default in the app settings, so you see updates from Small Middle School without being distracted by other posts.
Action Steps:
Download the AISD app today. Look for the AISD apple with the white background.
Follow Small Middle School within the app.
Set Small as your default school in settings
Thank you for your attention, and we look forward to keeping you updated through the new AISD app!
Volunteers Needed for the Cougar Cage!
What is the Cougar Cage? It is the CSMS store and it raises funds for the PTA. The store sells school merchandise (shirts and hoodies), school supplies and miscellaneous fun items to the kids during their lunch periods. The store is run by parent volunteers and can only be open if we have enough parents sign up to work in the store. Parents can sign up to work once a week, once a month or just once; there’s no minimum volunteer requirement. The commitment is from approximately 11:15am to 1:30pm which covers the 3 lunch periods. Working in the store is a great opportunity to interact with the kids and to contribute to the Small community.
You can sign up to volunteer at the link below. If you’ve never volunteered before, please sign up for one of the Trainee slots. If you’ve volunteered before, you can sign up for one of the Trainer slots (if you’re open to showing 1-2 new people the ropes) or one of the Regular Volunteer slots. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D45AFAF2FA4FAC07-50975400-cougar
You can also support the Cougar Cage by purchasing items from our wish list! I’ve included items here that the kids have requested/purchased the most. https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3P00T28AAQ0WS?ref_=wl_share
Thank you!
Calling all Volunteers!
Speaking of Volunteers, AISD is asking all volunteers to get a background check and have hours logged for reporting purposes. Luckily, they have provided a new software program called "VOLY" that is easy and simple to use.
If you plan on volunteering at Small in any aspect this year (workroom, cage, chaperone dances, splashfest, field trips, etc. ), please register to volunteer with Voly at https://austinisd.voly.org. Volunteer opportunities will be posted in our newsletters soon.
Carpool
If you live outside of our attendance zone, the odds are there are other cougars nearby. If you would like to connecting with other families that want to form carpools. Please fill out this form. I will email the results to anyone who signs up so you can work amongst yourselves to form carpools.
Carpool Sign up: https://forms.gle/CMeZHBZgYRLmcPhr7
Smallville's Travel Section
TIME TO GET ABOARD OUR 2026 INTERNATIONAL TOURS, Small Families!
We will have our online "SMALL's 2026 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL NIGHT" on Tuesday, September 17th at 6:30 p.m.
HERE is the link to REGISTER: https://rsvp.eftours.com/2g5tcfj
RSVP is required to attend this online informational session where I will share everything about our T W O AMAZING Summer 2026 travel choices! We are proud to say our "Global Cougars Fly" international program will have shown the world to about 150 Cougars by then!
TRIP #1: Italy and Greece (Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Delphi, Athens, the Island of Crete, and more!)
TRIP #2: Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kanazawa, and more!)
OPEN to current and incoming 6th graders, 7th, 8th, Small alumni, and their family members!
I CANNOT wait to share these BUCKET LIST destinations and unbelievable travel plans with you all!
~Mrs. Early
SMALL STEM TOURS is going to BOSTON!!
Have you ever wanted to walk the halls of Harvard and MIT?
How about whale watching?
Learning about the Salem Witch Trials?
Visit the JFK Library and learn about the Race to Space?
See the famous Blue Man Group in person?
Do we have a tour for you!
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Join SMALL STEM TOURS in Boston June (2025) for the science field trip of a lifetime!
Sign up now to reserve your spot.
Open to current and former Small students (and parents).
VIDEO MEETING for those interested in attending will be September 3rd at 6:30pm. Fill out the interest form below and the zoom link will be sent directly to you.
https://forms.gle/qtJ9ccimMFVwDHJv6
Deadline to reserve your spot is Sept 20.
Clint Small Middle School
Home of the Cougars and the Green Tech Academy!
Email: jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Website: https://small.austinschools.org/
Location: 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-841-6700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057069836221