It's the SCOOP for July 8, 2021
Your weekly news from Santa Barbara Middle School
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Dear SBMS Families,
We hope you have been soaking in these summer days and filling them with adventures, friends, and loved ones. We wanted to check in with you and include a few reminders in this SCOOP. As we get closer to August, you can expect to hear from us again with detailed information on Orientation Week, Diamond Days, the start of school, and so much more as we plan to relaunch our full program in the fall. If you have not done so already, p lease take a few minutes to complete our end-of-year survey to help us continue to improve our program and prepare for next year.
We hope you are having a fantastic summer!
With gratitude,
Brian, Bianca, and the SBMS Staff
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CURRENT PARENT SURVEY
Thank you to the 50% of parents who have already participated in our 2020-21 school year survey. We would love to hit 80% participation so our results accurately reflect our community's thoughts and feedback. If you have not done so already, please take a few minutes to fill it out. Keep in mind that your answers are anonymous. We are so grateful for your participation — we couldn’t do any of this without you. Start the survey here!
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2021-22 SCHOOL CALENDAR
We can't wait to kick off a new school year with you and your child. Please read through the annual calendar here to see key dates for the start of the year, expeditions, vacations, and more. Events and dates are subject to change as we continue to plan for the upcoming year. We are excited to have added in a 9th-grade Leadership Trip once again. This wonderful expedition on the Gaviota Coast and/or the Channel Islands is a great way for the 9th grade to bond and begin their year as leaders. Please mark the week of September 26 on your calendars for the time being. More details to come!
On our Fall Expedition, the upper school will be heading up to San Simeon for a week (Oct. 11 - Oct. 16) followed by the lower school the second week (Oct. 18 - Oct. 2). This may change with trip preparation and campground availabilities, but we will keep you posted as everything is confirmed.
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SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS ON THE HUB
Summer homework assignments are posted on the HUB on grade-specific tiles in Resources if you ever need to reference them. Please reach out to your grade-level dean with any questions on assignments or book lists. Happy reading!
DEAL LETTERS
Incoming families, we look forward to reading your child's Deal Letter at the start of school. Please have your student take their time to think about their deal meeting while we have some downtime at home this summer. Have your child think about their life journey and what is important to them. Why SBMS? What are the biggest acts of kindness they have ever given and received? What do they want to be known for at Middle School? We can't wait to learn about your child's special gifts, and we are excited to share all of SBMS with you.
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COMPUTERS FOR INCOMING STUDENTS
Thank you to our incoming families who came to pick up laptops already. There will also be a date in mid-August to pick up devices for families who were unable to make it last time. Stay tuned for further emails with more specific details and information.
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SUMMER OFFICE HOURS
A reminder that the main office will be open with limited hours from 10-2pm on Mondays through Thursdays. We will be checking for voicemail messages, emails, and snail mail. Note that the campus will be fully closed July 12 - July 23 for construction.
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SILVER LININGS OF THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR |
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In case you missed any of the amazing videos recapping this year, click through the below! Watch our academic showcases with slam poetry and dancing through history with our future 9th graders, our incredible trip movies, our Rites of Passage, Songfest and our Silver Linings from the year.
8th Grade Humanities Night Digital Showcase
All-School Media Presentation & Grade-Level Trip Videos
Rites of Passage
Songfest
Silver Linings Playbook
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⚠️ WEEKLY SAFETY UPDATE ⚠️ |
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2021-22 SAFETY FORECAST
We would like to extend our gratitude to all of our families for buying into the school's protocols this year. Without the efforts of our families to follow the guidelines and to make the extra efforts to ensure that no illness, Covid-19 or other, entered our building, we would not have had such a successful year. We were able to make it through the entire school year with only one positive case on campus, and with all of our on-campus protocols, there was no transmission on campus. For all of this, we were applauded by the County of Santa Barbara for our successful plan and response to Covid. Our contact at the county commented that we had one of the best and most effective responses of any school in the county!
Looking forward, we again have some uncertainty about what the future holds. We are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming school year and what we will be allowed and able to offer. We are hopeful that all of the students who are allowed to get vaccinated will do so, and that soon after the start of school, the age limit for vaccinations will drop below 12, allowing all of our students to get vaccinated. The vaccine is what is allowing us to open safely with fewer and fewer restrictions. Hopefully, within a few months of the start of the school year, the FDA will grant full approval for the vaccine, and California will require the Covid vaccine for students along with the other immunizations that are already required.
Next year we plan on opening in person with a full offering of Diamond Time activities, electives, and academics. As of now, schools are still requiring teachers and students to wear masks. We are hopeful that as more people get vaccinated the guidance on masks and distancing will continue to be reduced. As we receive more information and guidance, we will continue to adjust our in-person plans to match the requirements for schools to stay open in-person, and we will keep our community updated.
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BIKES FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR
Are you or your child looking to donate or sell a bike to SBMS for incoming students? Please fill out the form here and we will be in touch !
SBMS BOOK CLUB
We will host our next Book Club meeting on Monday, July 19th at 9:30am. The book we are reading is "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne. Join us on the Zoom link here!
Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?
Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from - and over his many years, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.
In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.
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FROM THE PARENT ASSOCIATION |
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We need you: looking for parent volunteers to chair events at SBMS next year
Serving on the Parent Association is fulfilling and rewarding -- you help create wonderful SBMS experiences while making friends with other parents and staff (and having fun!). Please contact Debbie Popovich at [email protected] if you are interested in chairing any of the following events or for more information:
- 6th Grade Parent Reps
- Staff Appreciation
- Rites of Passage (9th grade graduation)
- Parking Lot Coffee Breaks
- SBMS Cares (initiative to support families in need)
- Garden Parent Liaison
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ON THE HORIZON
Please note that dates and events are **subject to change** and updates will be communicated.
2021-22 School Year
August 2021
Monday, August 30: Diamond Day for Incoming Families
Tuesday, Aug 31: First day for 9th Grade
Wednesday, Sept 1: First day for 6-8th grades
Thursday, Sept 2 - Friday, Sept. 3: Orientation Ride & Overnight**
September 2021
Monday, September 6: Labor Day - No School
Tuesday, September 7: School Resumes (Electives begin)
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