Smithsburg Middle School
January 2015
Dates & Details
Jan. 5 – School Resumes
Jan. 6 – Geography Bee
Periods 1 & 2 - Cafeteria
Jan. 7 – S.I.T. Meeting-3:30 PM
Jan. 9 – Activity Night – 6:30 –
8:30 PM
Jan. 13 – PTSA Meeting – 6:00
PM
nd
Jan. 15 – End of 2 Marking
Period
Jan. 16 – Professional Day –
No school for students
Jan. 19 – Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day – No School
Jan. 20 – Professional Day –
No school for students
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Jan. 26 – 8 Grade Transition
Night – 6:30-7:30 PM –
Media Center
Jan. 29 – Family Life Parent
Meeting – 6:00-7:30 PM –
Media Center
Volume 1, Number 7
From the Principal’s Desk…
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Happy New Year! The New Year is a time to reflect and decide on new courses of
action. A special shout out to our staff and students who worked hard in 2014 to fully
implement our educational and extracurricular programs. SMS continues moving
forward. SMS is a finalist to be a Vanguard One school. Vanguard One schools will have
a MacBook for every student and every staff member by spring of this year. There are 17
finalists for 8 schools. WCPS has $516,000 proposed for technology at SMS. Vanguard
One schools will receive the technology first. Wish us luck as we go through the process.
As we prepare for the PARCC Test to be administered this spring, we will be testing our
WIFI’s ability to handle over 150 computers. We should have no problem since WCPS
has installed a new WIFI system that should handle up to five to ten years of traffic
expected in the future.
Staff and I look forward to working with you in 2015. We encourage you to continue to be
a part of your child’s education by maintaining the lines of communication between the
school and home. We also encourage you to become an active member of the PTSA.
As part of your New Year’s commitment we ask you to fully participate in your child’s
education and become a partner with SMS.
Thanks for your continued support. I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!
Dr. Stephen Tarason
e…students at a minimal cost. Principal
Some of the activities
student council offers include: a. Any h events. If you
are able to help please contact Mrs. Izat by email.
[email protected]
LEOPARD’S PRIDE
SMS Vision
Smithsburg Middle School is a
professional learning community where all students
feel valued, safe, and will become
life long learners
Our School Newsletter is now available on our
school website Go to www.wcps.k12.md.us
Schools, Middle, More Info
Contact Us
Stephen Tarason, Principal
Dan Brennan, Asst. Principal
Phone – 301-766-8353
Fax – 301-824-5147
Address:
68 N. Main Street
Smithsburg, MD 21783
The Board of Education of Washington County does not discriminate on
the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, size, age, or disability
in employment or the provision of services. If you have a question about
this policy, call the Director of Human Resources at 301-766-2808.
www.wcboe.k12.md.us
Dr. Stephen Tarason,
Principal
Student Council
Community Service Project
During the month of November, Student
Council members collected from staff
and students pre-packaged wrapped
snacks for Veterans who have
appointments at the VA Clinic in
Hagerstown. Members also made thank
you signs and cards for our Veterans.
On Thursday, December 18, members
of the Student Council and their
advisors, Mrs. Waters and Mrs. Murphy
toured the VA Clinic and also delivered
their donations
Great Job SMS Student Council!
Pictured at left are members of the Student
Council and Advisors.
PTSA NEWS
FFA News for January
Our Holiday Activity Night was a huge success and fun was had
by all. A special thank you to those who chaperoned, donated
various items, and helped set up our Winter Wonderland. The
festive 3D snowflakes were graciously created by Mrs. Maginnis
and her art students.
FFA meeting dates for January will be: 5 , 12 . The focus for
January will be researching cold boxes and how they may work
in our area. Also, planning for vegetable gardens and ordering
seeds will take place.
Thank you, also, for those who continue to support the PTSA by
attending our Dinner Night Out events. Please join us at
Friendly’s for dinner or ice cream on January 14. More details
will be sent home after winter break.
In keeping with Smithsburg Middle School tradition, the PTSA is
hoping to have a talent show this spring. This event is best with
several volunteers. If you are interested in helping, please let
us know. In addition, we are in need of a volunteer to chair this
event. If you are interested, please contact us as soon as
possible.
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FFA members thank you for your support of their movie ticket
sales.
KUDOS…
SpikeFest
Please join us at our first meeting of 2015 on January 13 at 6:00
PM in the Media Center. A representative from the Smithsburg
Library is scheduled to attend and share. Come learn about
what our local library has to offer.
We wish everyone a safe and festive winter break.
Happy Holidays,
Jennifer Ashbaugh, Mary Glessner, Amy Woodward, Jen Keller,
and Anne Jessop
PTSA Executive Board
Smithsburg Academic Leadership Team
Smithsburg Academic Leadership Team (SALT) is now
accepting applications for incoming freshmen for the 2015-2016
school year! SALT is a program for college-bound students who
want to experience academic excellence while developing and
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honing their leadership skills. All 8 grade students will learn
about SALT on December 16, 2014 at Smithsburg High School,
and SALT will be hosting an information night for parents on
January 15, 2015 at 7 PM at the high school. Get more
information by clicking on the link or scanning the QR Code
below. Applications are available in the middle school guidance
office and on the website.
Website Link:
https://sites.google.com/a/wcps.k12.md.us/smith
sburg-academic-leadership-academy/home
QR Code:
Congratulations to Katie McCracken, Hannah Lund, and Sydney
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Scott for being selected for the 2014 Washington County 8
Grade All-Star SpikeFest held recently at North Hagerstown
High School
Congratulations to the Band, Orchestra, and
Chorus for outstanding winter concerts!
Attention 7th and 8th Grade Parents
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Hour of Code
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A Family Life parent information meeting for 7 and 8 grade
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parents is scheduled for Thursday, January 29 from 6:00 –
7:30 PM in the Media Center.
Attention 8th Grade Parents and Students
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8 Grade Day on the Job is scheduled for February 3, 2015.
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Information will be distributed to 8 grade students before the
winter break.
Please contact Mrs. McCallion or Mrs. Huffer if you have any
questions.
2015 School Geography Bee
On December 16, twenty-eight students competed in the
preliminary completion (chosen by the top 28 scores of a
qualifying test given in all social studies classes).
The following students qualified for the preliminary
Geography Bee competition:
Grade 6: Gabrielle Ryder, Emily Shoop, Morgan Sigler,
Emma Verdier
Grade 7: Emily Everett, Lucy Hamman, Chris Keely,
Abby Kittel, Zach Wandalowski, Andrew Windham, Nolan
Zahm
Grade 8: Clara Desclous, Elijah Dove, Renee Dupre,
Ryan Goodmansen, Nathan Hartney, John Kalons, Emily
Kellogg, Maurice Lehman, Austin Martin, Christian
Mbugua, Logan McIntyre, Ricky Moser, Piper Partlow,
Travis Pridemore, Omadou Sallah, William Schupp,
Jasper Zimmerman
Pictured are SMS students participating in Hour of Code
(National Computer Science Week). They are programming
their own games!
Activity Night
The Smithsburg Middle School Faculty Honors Organization
will sponsor the next Activity Night on Friday, January 9,
2015 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Any child that is a student at
Smithsburg Middle School may attend Activity Night.
Admission is $5.00 and includes drinks and snacks.
Please keep in mind that if students have not returned the
permission letter regarding concussions/head injuries they
will not be permitted to enter the gym. If you are able to help
chaperone please contact Mrs.
Izat ([email protected]).
Persons who would like to donate a snack or baked good
please contact Mrs. Dawn Reed
([email protected])
FUN WITH SCIENCE
The finalists for the 2014-15 School Geography Bee are:
Grade 6: Gabrielle Ryder, Emily Shoop
Grade 7: Abby Kittel, Zach Wandalowski, Nolan Zahm
Grade 8: Clara Desclous, Nathan Hartney, Emily
Kellogg, Ricky Moser, Max Schupp
Parents are invited to attend the final Bee competition on
January 6th, which will begin at 9:00 AM in the cafeteria.
Congratulations to all participants!
Science Projects from Mrs. Howell’s class.
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
From the Counseling Center
Please be aware of your child’s use of technology. There
are a vast number of social media sites, instant messaging,
etc. that your children may be using. Please check in with
your child about these sites and view them and their
interactions on them with your child. It is also important to
know your child’s passwords and codes for any site or
device they are using. This is just a reminder since they will
more than likely be keeping up with their friends via these
tools.
Important dates:
A 6th grade transition night is planned for Monday, May 4,
2015 from 6:30-7:30 PM for any parent who will have a child
transition from an elementary school to Smithsburg Middle
School next year. Basic information about middle school will
be discussed.
8th grade students/families:
8th Grade Day on the Job is scheduled for Tuesday,
February 3, 2015. Please discuss a location that your child
can spend the day shadowing an adult in his/her job. A
letter regarding this will be sent home before the winter
break with your child.
On Tuesday, Dec. 16th, your 8th grade student visited
Smithsburg High School to learn information about two
programs they offer: SALT and AVID. Please have your
child pick up an application and more information from
his/her school counselor. Specific questions can be directed
to Mrs. Swartz at Smithsburg High School.
All 8th grade students will participate in a career lesson
utilizing the Bridges program at the beginning of January
2015. Counselors will meet with each student individually
during this time to help them begin thinking about high
school plans and future career/college plans. They will bring
an information form home with them after our meeting.
8th grade information on transition evening at Smithsburg
Middle School will be held on Monday, January 26th from
6:30 to 7:30 PM. This is an evening for 8th grade parents as
an introduction to information for high school and beyond.
There will be another evening held at the high school after
they have received information on scheduling for 9th grade
that will offer more in-depth information regarding
expectations for your child at the high school.
Box Tops for Education
Please continue to collect box tops over the winter break.
A new Homeroom Contest will begin when we return on
January 5th. In order to receive a prize, students must
place at least 30 box tops in a baggie with their name
written on the bag.
Thank you for supporting our school.
Clip, Clip, Clip!
Advisor: Mrs. Lisa Waters [email protected]
Pride Schedule for January
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Friday, January 9
Smithsburg Pride
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Friday, January 23
College Pride Day
Important Dates/Information
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 Thursday, December 18 VA Clinic Tour
Collected Snacks, Thank You Cards, & Christmas Cards
for the Veterans who have appointments at the VA Clinic
in Hagerstown were delivered. Student Council members
also toured the facility. We would like to thank Amy Lynn
Farmer, RN, MBA- the Hagerstown CBOC Coordinator,
Supervisory Health System Specialist for the Clinic for
facilitating the tour!

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Thursday, January 7 WCASC Meeting for
Student Council Members @ WCTHS
All Members can attend. Permission Slips can be
obtained from Mrs. Waters and must be signed and
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returned by January 6 . You must let your teachers know
that you will be absent from class that day, and you are
Responsible for any work that you miss.

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Wednesday, January 14 Student Council
Meeting @ Smithsburg Middle
The Meeting will be in Mrs. Waters’ room after school
from 3:45 to 4:45 PM. All members must attend! See
Mrs. Waters if you absolutely cannot attend. We will
discuss the sale of candy grams for Valentine’s Day
and the Activity Night planned for Friday, February
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13 .

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Wednesday, January 17 SGA Shirts
Student Council shirts were designed and ordered for
Student Council members. We wore these shirts when we
toured the VA Clinic and for Group Picture Day. Members
are encouraged to wear them to the County Meetings 

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Friday February 13 Valentine Themed Activity
Night
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Save the Date for the next Activity Night; February 13 .
Student council Members are encouraged to bring
desserts; cookies, brownies, etc… Volunteers are needed
in order to make this night a success! Please contact Mrs.
Lisa Waters, Student Council sponsor, at
[email protected] or at 301-766-8353