Lesley Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
Greetings Parents,
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Thank you to all the parents/guardians that were able to make our student-led conferences. The students did an excellent job sharing their successes, areas of growth, and goals for the remainder of the year. The students truly benefit from this opportunity.
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Next week we will start taking interim assessments. Please encourage your student to review as this assessment covers material from the beginning of the semester. The teachers use this assessment to determine areas each student needs to work on in addition to providing students feedback on their current progress. We will be taking the Milestone State Assessments after spring break, and this interim will help everyone understand what our students need to reach mastery. It is important that all of us work together for our students’ achievement, and you are a vital part of the team.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
​
Lesley Acree Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
770-736-4465
Lesley Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
Greetings Parents,
​
Thank you to all the parents/guardians that were able to make our student-led conferences. The students did an excellent job sharing their successes, areas of growth, and goals for the remainder of the year. The students truly benefit from this opportunity.
​
Next week we will start taking interim assessments. Please encourage your student to review as this assessment covers material from the beginning of the semester. The teachers use this assessment to determine areas each student needs to work on in addition to providing students feedback on their current progress. We will be taking the Milestone State Assessments after spring break, and this interim will help everyone understand what our students need to reach mastery. It is important that all of us work together for our students’ achievement, and you are a vital part of the team.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
​
Lesley Acree Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
770-736-4465
Lesley Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
Greetings Parents,
​
Thank you to all the parents/guardians that were able to make our student-led conferences. The students did an excellent job sharing their successes, areas of growth, and goals for the remainder of the year. The students truly benefit from this opportunity.
​
Next week we will start taking interim assessments. Please encourage your student to review as this assessment covers material from the beginning of the semester. The teachers use this assessment to determine areas each student needs to work on in addition to providing students feedback on their current progress. We will be taking the Milestone State Assessments after spring break, and this interim will help everyone understand what our students need to reach mastery. It is important that all of us work together for our students’ achievement, and you are a vital part of the team.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
​
Lesley Acree Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
770-736-4465
Lesley Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
Greetings Parents,
​
Thank you to all the parents/guardians that were able to make our student-led conferences. The students did an excellent job sharing their successes, areas of growth, and goals for the remainder of the year. The students truly benefit from this opportunity.
​
Next week we will start taking interim assessments. Please encourage your student to review as this assessment covers material from the beginning of the semester. The teachers use this assessment to determine areas each student needs to work on in addition to providing students feedback on their current progress. We will be taking the Milestone State Assessments after spring break, and this interim will help everyone understand what our students need to reach mastery. It is important that all of us work together for our students’ achievement, and you are a vital part of the team.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
​
Lesley Acree Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
770-736-4465
Lesley Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
Greetings Parents,
​
Thank you to all the parents/guardians that were able to make our student-led conferences. The students did an excellent job sharing their successes, areas of growth, and goals for the remainder of the year. The students truly benefit from this opportunity.
​
Next week we will start taking interim assessments. Please encourage your student to review as this assessment covers material from the beginning of the semester. The teachers use this assessment to determine areas each student needs to work on in addition to providing students feedback on their current progress. We will be taking the Milestone State Assessments after spring break, and this interim will help everyone understand what our students need to reach mastery. It is important that all of us work together for our students’ achievement, and you are a vital part of the team.
Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
​
Lesley Acree Grimes
6th Grade and Connections Assistant Principal
770-736-4465
Jennifer Vaughn
7th Grade Assistant Principal
The month of March is packed with exciting events for students!
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Thursday, March 12th is our PBIS celebration. Students will be able to redeem their Star Bucks to participate in a social event and enjoy a 'walking taco'!
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Thursday, March 12 - Thursday, March 19th is interim testing. Interim assessments mark the halfway point in the semester. Students will be able to show what they've learned since returning from winter break and teachers will use that data to make adjustments to instruction, as needed.
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Friday, March 20th is Career Day. Students will participate in a career fair to learn more about exciting new careers.
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Friday, March 27th is SMS Fun Day! For $10 students can participate in carnival-style games, prizes, and concessions. Proceeds will benefit both Relay for Life and the Aimee Copeland Foundation. All payments must be made on MyPaymentsPlus.
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Monday, March 30th - Friday, April 3rd is SPRING BREAK!
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Ms. Jennifer Vaughn
7th Grade Assistant Principal
770-344-3879
Testing Corner
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Standardized Testing Information
Students will have opportunities to practice for the GMAS- Georgia Milestones Assessment System in class and at home.
Here are some parent resources from the GaDoE –Georgia Department of Education website:
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Georgia Milestones EOG & EOC
Middle School Schedule Spring 2020
All grades will take ELA and Math
8th grade will take ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies
April 9 - 14, 2020 6th grade Math & ELA
April 15 - 21, 2020 7th grade Math & ELA
April 22 - 28, 2020 8th grade ELA, SS, & 8th grade Algebra
GMAS EOC - Online
April 29 - 30, 202 - Algebra I
May 4 - 5, 2020 - HS Physical Science
Dr. Twanitta L. Martin
8th Grade Administrator
Standardized Testing Coordinator- CogAT, PSAT, Milestones
Title IX Coordinator
Snellville Middle School
3155 Pate Road Snellville, GA 30078
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770-972-1530
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Lesley Grimes
6th Grade Assistant Principal
6th grade parents,
This semester has started off in an exciting way for our 6th graders. They were able to participate in a business field trip where they went to Junior Achievement BizTown a week ago. Next week they will be experiencing Water on Wheels, Water and Your World on campus at SMS. During this experience students will examine how they use water, both directly and indirectly, and compare our water use to other countries around the globe. Through trivia questions, video clips, career exploration, and introduction of future technologies, students will learn how they can have a positive impact on the Earth’s limited water resources. This ties in directly to the water unit in their Earth Science curriculum. Be sure to ask your son/daughter about the field trips and what they have learned.
We continue to seek ways to bring relevance and excitement to the curriculum. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any question/concern about your student.
Lesley Grimes
6th Grade Assistant Principal
Lesley_Grimes@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
770-736-4465
Damian Powell
7th Grade Assistant Principal
and Athletics Administrator
It is hard to believe that it is 2018! 7th Grade is rockin’ and rollin’ with lots of fun and learning all around!
Math students are currently learning about percentages, discounts, tax, and proportions. Teachers relate this unit to shopping for clothes or shoes with a discount attached to them. For example, a pair of Jordans cost $100 with a 20% discount, what would be the final price? Making relevant connections to real-life situations helps our kids stay engaged and wanting to learn more. They love Math!
Language Arts is writing about literature. Classes are reading independent and cooperative lessons, and interpreting themes and authorial purpose. We are proud that our students continue to improve their prose and technique!
In Science, students are learning about Evolution. Kids are examining real-world examples of how natural selection leads to evolution in populations over successive generations. They are also analyzing and interpreting digital models and using mathematics to evaluate how natural selection leads to evolution. Exciting!
Social studies is buzzing about the Geography Bee. In preparation for an opportunity to participate in the big National Bee, each teacher facilitated a “Classroom Bee.” This fun activity helped spark student interest in the subject and increase their awareness about Geography. The top scorer from each classroom will take a test to qualify for the SMS School-wide Geography Bee on January 25. Our Comets WILL soar to the 2018 Bee Championship in Washington DC!
Lastly, we look forward to seeing you at our rescheduled Seventh-grade awards program. We sent invitations home this past Tuesday with report cards for students to be recognized. Mark the date, Friday, January 26 at 8:00 AM in the gym.
Athletics Update
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Comets Athletics is having a phenomenal season. Lady Comets are 10-0 and are the number 1 seed in the division. They are truly coming together at the right time. Our girls are focused and hungry for a championship. Every day, Coach DeLoach reminds his girls to “practice as you play.” This great advice has truly been impactful to our girls.
Our boys continue to grow in overcoming obstacles like injuries and transfers. These challenges continue to help bring our team together. Our boys are 7-3, and ranked at # 5. Both teams have improved significantly since the start of the season and we could not be more proud. Go Comets!!
Our cheerleaders are making great strides. The girls have come so far from when they started. They are no longer shy and uncoordinated as during tryouts. They are truly a unit that is poised, confident and full of energy. They are a POWERHOUSE up against other squads as they cheer for the Mighty Comets!!!
Be sure to come out and support the teams for our last two games at South Gwinnett HS. Tomorrow morning, Saturday, January 20 at 9:00am and Thursday, January 25 at 5:00pm.
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Damian Powell
7th Grade Assistant Principal
Damian_Powell@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
770-736-4469
Corine Warren
8th Grade Assistant Principal
Dear Eighth Grade Parents,
Happy New Year and welcome to the continuation of our exceptional school year! It is hard to believe that we have completed the first semester. I hope you and your families enjoyed quality time together during our winter break and that 2018 brings each of you good health. Our return from winter break has been a smooth one, and eighth grade teachers and students are ready to finish this school year strong. As we begin the second semester, we will continue our focus on excellence in teaching and learning.
Even though we are only halfway through the year, it is time for eighth grade students to begin planning for next year. Ninth grade registration, for current eighth graders, will begin within two weeks. Your student will receive a registration form from his/her homeroom teacher on February 2, 2018. Upon receiving the registration form, please review it with your student and return it to SMS on or before February 16, 2018.
As always, thank you for your support and please continue to encourage your student to adhere to our school-wide expectations (both academic and behavioral). We are working hard this year to make expectations and consequences clearer to our students and families, which will support students in their academic achievement as scholars at SMS. Additionally, remember to track your student’s academic progress by logging on to the Parent Portal.
In addition to the impressive work happening inside our classrooms, our student athletes and performing arts students are achieving at high levels. I cannot wait to see what the second half of the year has in store for us!
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions/concerns regarding your student.
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Corine Warren-McIntosh
8th Grade Assistant Principal
Corine_O_Warren@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
770-736-4471
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January 22 - 28, 2018
Weekly Calendar
Dr. Twanitta L. Pouncey
Assistant Principal,
Testing, Special Education
Dear Parents,
Students just completed district assessment pretest for 2nd semester. This pretest allows the teacher to get a snapshot of the prior knowledge your child has in the particular content and grade level.
Parents be on the look out for AAP- Academic Assistance Program information and application if your child did not earn a 70 or above in one of the 4 content area classes for 1st semester. There is a fee per class (limit 2 classes) and the classes are held on Saturdays.
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Mark your calendars for our upcoming Title I Parent workshops:
February 6, 2018 @ 6:30 p.m. Social Studies Night
March 6, 2018 @ 6:30 p.m. STEAM Night
Please don’t hesitate to call me at 770-736-4455, or email me at Twanitta_pouncey@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Dr. Twanitta L. Pouncey
Luevenia Holloway
Assistant Principal,
Student Management, Connections
Thank you parents for your attendance and support of the Music Department. The department ended the year with a variety of musical productions. Each performance was well attended by family, staff members and friends. The student’s performances were delightful and enjoyed by all.
We would like to welcome Mrs. Stephanie Birmingham to the Snellville Middle School family. Mrs. Birmingham is our new Art teacher. Her educational expertise includes a Bachelors and Master’s Degree in Art Education and Information Science. Her teaching philosophy is “students need time to create and to learn to express themselves in a way that builds confidence.”
She comes to us from Arkansas with a wealth of experience and is excited about being a Snellville Comet!
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Luevenia Holloway
Connections Assistant Principal
Luevenia_Holloway@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
770-344-3879
Reminder about Student Deliveries
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Please remember that, as stated in the Student Agenda, the front office does not accept items for delivery.
This includes PE clothes, athletic clothing/shoes, uniforms, projects, cell phones, homework, instruments, books, cupcakes, balloons, flowers or any outside food.
This is part of our COMETS Be Ready, Be Responsible program and will limit the interruptions during academic time.
Kroger Community Rewards partners with Snellville Middle School!
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Link your Kroger Plus card to Snellville Middle School using www.krogercommunityrewards.com. Enroll today and select Snellville Middle School! By linking your Kroger Plus card to Snellville Middle, you will help our students benefit from these Kroger Community Rewards!
Stay Informed with the Parent Portal
If you are not already on the Parent Portal please stop by the office and sign up. This awesome resource allows you to track your child's grades and attendance in real time from any computer.