Smith Junior High School Home of the Sidewinders

Modified In-Person

Hello Sidewinder Families:

On Monday, September 14, we will likely begin our modified in-person schedule. I am very excited to see our students. The final decision will be based on our county benchmark data; however, the data is trending for our students to return on September 14, so I wanted to communicate some important details for this return date; please reach out to us if you have any questions or needs. 

Currently, all our area schools are using an alphabetical last name split to determine on what students go to school on what days. This was done to provide consistency for parents/guardians that have students at different schools. Here is the breakdown:

Group A: Last names A-K

Group B: Last names L-Z

School day: Classes start at 9:15 and school is out at 4:00

Map: Attached is a map labeled with important information to review with your student so that they can find where their homeroom class is located on the first day of school.

Group A: These students will attend class periods 1 - 8 at Smith from: 9:15 am to 4:00 pm on Mondays and Thursdays; on Tuesdays and Fridays this group will work independently at home between 9:15 am to 4:00 pm. On Wednesdays all students will login to their live first hour class for homeroom.

Group B: These students will attend class periods 1 - 8 at Smith from: 9:15 am to 4:00 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays; on Mondays and Thursdays this group will work independently at home between 9:15 am to 4:00 pm. On Wednesdays all students will login to their live first hour class for homeroom.

Orientation: Students will spend their entire first day with their homeroom teacher. We will use this time to give students tours of campus, review fire and lockdown drills, sanitizing procedures, bell schedules, transition procedures, and other general information. 

Beginning of the day: Students will need to report directly to their first hour class upon arriving. Please do not drop your student off before 8:50 am unless they have a scheduled meeting with one of their teachers. Students needing breakfast will pick it up in the cafeteria and take the food directly to their first hour to eat it in class. 

Lunch: We created a four period lunch schedule so that students are spread out during lunch and can remove their masks. Seventh grade students will be released three minutes early from class to grab lunch and head directly to the auditorium, where they will be spread out at a six-foot minimum distance. Eighth grade students will be released at their regular time to grab lunch and eat in the cafeteria, where they will be spread out at a six-foot minimum distance. Please visit www.mpsaz.org/food for more information regarding lunch menus, payment options, and free and reduced lunch for families in need. Students can pick up breakfast and lunch for the following day on their way off campus at the end of the day. We will have staff to hand these meals out in sacks, in front of our cafeteria as students exit campus.

Transitions: Seventh grade students will be released three minutes early to their next class. Eighth grade students will be released at their regular time. Our halls have been labeled for traffic flow, similar to a road.

End of the day: Students will go directly to their busses, pick up location, bike rack, or begin walking home. Parents/guardians picking up students are encouraged to use the north east parking lot in addition to the front of the school.

Safety procedures: Students are required to wear masks while on campus. We have implemented scheduled mask breaks during the day. At the end of each class, each student and teacher will sanitize their desk and surrounding desks. Drinking fountains are only used for filling water bottles. Bathrooms will be monitored to ensure one student is in at a time. Every bathroom has been equipped with hand sanitizing signs and paper towels. We also have several hand sanitizer locations throughout campus.  Students should social distance whenever opportunity provides the space.

Please review this with your student. We want students to come back and stay back. In order to do so, we need to ensure students and staff are practicing safe procedures to prevent increased cases in our county. I am excited to see our students next week.

Sincerely,

Adam Unrein

 Remote Learners

Hello Sidewinder Families,

The survey results indicated that you have chosen remote learning for your student, beginning September 14, 2020.  As a reminder, you may make a one time change to this choice between now and the end of the semester.

There will be a few changes to the way remote learning is structured.  Our remote learning students will follow the same breakdown for live lessons as our modified in-person students. 

Full-time remote learners (and ANY child under 18) can pick up meals from 7 to 8 a.m. at participating junior high schools or 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. at participating district high schools on Mondays and Wednesdays. Our designated pick area for meals will be behind our cafeteria, which is located on the north side of campus. Students will receive two meals on Mondays and three meals on Wednesdays. Students do not need to be present. You can find more information regarding meal prices and free and reduced lunch at www.mpsaz.org/food.

On Mondays and Thursdays, our remote students with the last name beginning with A-K will login to Canvas and follow their class schedule and attend all classes (1-8).  Their school day will begin at 9:15 am and end at 4:00 pm.  Wednesdays will remain the same as it is now, with all students logging in remotely to their homeroom class in the morning at 9:15.  That will be the only remote class held that day; our teachers are available all day until 2:00 pm for tutoring, conferences, phone calls, etc.  On Tuesdays and Fridays, these students will work independently (asynchronously) during school hours.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, our remote students with the last name beginning with L-Z will login to Canvas for all live lessons.  Students will follow their class schedule and attend all classes (1-8).  Their school day will begin at 9:15 am and end at 4:00 pm. Wednesdays will remain the same as it is now, with all students logging in remotely to their homeroom class in the morning at 9:15.  That will be the only remote class held that day; our teachers are available all day until 2:00 pm for tutoring, conferences, phone calls, etc.  On Mondays and Thursdays, these students will work independently (asynchronously) during school hours.

We have worked hard to keep our students with their current teachers; unfortunately, some students will have teacher changes. This is due to staff availability.

At this time, there is no projected timeline for a return to full time in-person learning. Please continue to watch your email for updates from district leaders and from me.

Sincerely,

Adam Unrein

First Day of School Modified In-Person: Sept. 14th - Students in Group A (Letters A-K) come to school Mondays and Thursdays.  Students in Group B (Letters L-Z) come to school Tuesdays and Fridays.

Make an appointment: To make an appointment with the front office, copy this link. https://forms.gle/FjsLWdWFsxmg964MA

Season I Sports:  All after school sports for Season I have been cancelled at this time.  

Principal:  Adam Unrein  480-472-4659

Secretary to Principal: Katie Lowe  480-472-4650

Assistant Principal: Shawna Sirois  480-472-4657

Secretary to Asst. Principal:  Patricia Schaefer 480-472-4651

Registration:  Julie Waldref  480-472-9902

                      email:  jcwaldref@mpsaz.org

Registration available 8:30am - 3:00pm

                      Appointments also available

Counselor - G-N: Jodi Kelly 480-472-4666

Counselor - O-Z: Rosie Marquez 480-472-4661  (Spanish Speaking)

Counselor - A-F: Scott Hannig 480-472-4662

Office Hours:  8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Fax:  480-472-9999