SHALER AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL
DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS
WEDNESDAY,  APRIL 7, 2021
DAY  3

Return to In-Person Learning: 

On April 5th SAMS transitioned to four days in-person learning.  All students who completed the survey that they wanted to return to in-person learning should report to SAMS on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please know that you may make a request to move from in-person learning to remote at any time.   Requests for any change other than the student's current placement must be made in writing to Dr. Stennett - 8th grade (stennette@sasd.k12.pa.us) or Dr. Howard - 7th grade (howards@sasd.k12.pa.us). 
 Jazz Band:
Attention students in 7th grade interested in auditioning for the SAMS Jazz Band for next year: You need to join the Jazz Band Auditions Google classroom by using the code uj2b2su for information about auditioning.

CLUBS:

Lunch Meets: 
No Lunch Meets this week.  We will be back on schedule for Wednesday, April 14.

Homework Club:
Homework Club Spring Edition Please note the changes: There will be one online option and one in-person option.

Tuesday on Google Meet from 4:00 - 5:00pm
Thursday in the school library from 3:00 - 4:00pm

Please contact Ms. Millard or Ms. Coleman for more information.
Google Classroom Code - hymk5j3

Stage Crew:
Stage crew will meet on Friday,  April 9 from 3-4 pm and Friday, April 23 from 3-4 pm.
Please sign up for one or the other day on google classroom. The code is qgzei7r. This is separate from the Spring musical.

SPORTS:

MS Boys’ WHITE Baseball:
Wednesday – Has a home game against Butler at SAES Field at 3:3 pm.

MS Boys’ BLUE Baseball:
Thursday – Has a home game against Fox Chapel at SAES Field at 3:30 pm.

Jr. High Track:
Wednesday - The middle school track team has an away meet at North Hills at 3:30pm on Wednesday. Students should report to the middle school dressed in their uniforms by 2pm on Wednesday, April 7th. 

SAMS PTO Meeting & Board Nominations:
Please join us for a virtual PTO meeting on Thursday, April 8th @ 6PM. We will review this year and discuss final items for the end of the year as well as open nominations for board positions for next year. The entire current board will be moving on, so all positions are open (President, VP, Secretary & Treasurer).  Please join using this link - meet.google.com/xot-oxge-mbj

SAMS PTO Pretzelroni Fundraiser
SAMS PTO is offering a new fundraiser. Pepperoni rolls are popular and so are soft pretzels. These are a combination of the 2! These Pretzelroni Jr's would be great for kids to have as a snack or to make for dinner. They come frozen so you just have to thaw them and bake when you want an easy snack or meal in. We are collecting orders old-school this time so please print the order form and submit it with a check made out to SAMS PTO. The sale will run from March 19 - April 9. When you submit your order to the SAMS office, please put the order form and check in an envelope and label it "PTO Pretzelroni Fundraiser."  Order pick-up will be drive thru style like the Chick-fil-A tray fundraiser in the admin parking lot on Wednesday, May 5 from 4:30-6:30PM. Our vendor will be holding the product in his freezer truck during pick up to ensure that they remain frozen for you. You can just drive up and tell us your name and get your order without exiting your car. SAMS PTO will earn $10 back for each box sold to go towards programming for the students and to support our teachers.

Health and Safety of Students during In-Person Instruction:
We want to ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.  It is important to communicate with your SAMS school nurse, Mrs.  Erdlen, if any of the following apply:
•	Your child or any member of your household tests positive for COVID-19
•	Your child has been in close contact with a confirmed or presumed positive COVID-19 case.
•	Your child is currently quarantined or isolated due to recent exposure outside of school.

Mrs. Erdlen can be reached at 412-492-1200 x8-2510, erdlenc@sasd.kk12.pa.us or by submitting your information using this link:   https://forms.gle/VjPAtvLKKZMBVKu3A 
Please plan to remain virtual until you talk with Mrs. Erdlen. 

Tech Problems:
Student Tech Issues:  If you have an issue with your device, please come to the Main Office to report the problem or use the School Dude ticket system for any issues you are experiencing with your own devices so we can coordinate. 
https://sites.google.com/shaler.us/publiceducationportal/home/tech-support
Work Permits:
WORK PERMITS can be obtained by going to the Shaler Area High School, 381 Wible Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15209.  Please contact Mrs. Betty Wesolek at 412-492-1200 x8-1501 or wesolekb@sasd.k12.pa.us.

Attendance During Virtual Learning
School Board policy 204 Attendance requires that the parent submit an excuse in writing. http://www.sasd.k12.pa.us/boardpolicies/204.pdf. All excuses and doctor’s notes can be emailed to: buzzellij@sasd.k12.pa.us
It is important to note that students are encouraged to notify their teachers if they are going to miss a class. However, policy 204 states that the written excuse must come from the parent for tardy, early dismissal, half, or full day absences.
Shaler Area Middle School teachers take period by period attendance. The attendance portal no longer exists. Students must participate in remote learning for each period, beginning with homeroom. A teacher will mark the student absent if they are not participating. If there is a question about a specific period, please email the teacher directly. If a student missed 6 or more periods in a day, they will be marked “I” illegal absence and will require a written parent email.
If a student has a doctor’s appointment, parents are welcome to email us with doctor’s notes or information that the student was absent from (for example: from 9am to 12:00pm) so that attendance can be marked correctly. If a student needs an early dismissal (for example: at 1:45pm and not returning), parents should email us that information.