February 2020 Events
2/03 Girls Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/03 Chess Club 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
2/04 Boys Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/04 Math Club 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
2/05 Girls Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/05 CYB Ski Club 3:00 p.m. Greek Peak
2/05 4th Grade Band performs at Music Booster Meeting 7:00 p.m.
2/06 Boys Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/06 Select Orchestra 3:15-4:15
2/06 Virgil Ski Club 3:00 p.m. Greek Peak
2/06 Student Council 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
2/10 Pennies for Patients Fundraiser Begins
2/10 Spirit Week Begins - Peace and Love Penny Day
2/10 Girls Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/10 Chess Club 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
2/11 Spirit Week - Neon Nickels Day
2/11 Boys Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/11 Math Club 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
2/11 BOE Meeting 6:30 p.m.
2/11 3rd Grade Skate Trip to JM McDonald Center 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
2/12 Spirit Week - Dazzling Dimes Day
2/12 Girls Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/12 CYB Ski Club 3:00 p.m. Greek Peak
2/12 3rd Grade Skate Trip to JM McDonald Center 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
2/13 Spirit Week - Crazy Quarters Day
2/13 Boys Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m
2/13 PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/13 3rd Grade Skate Trip to JM McDonald Center 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
2/14 Spirit Week - Team Up for Leukemia Day
2/14 MGR Grade 3/4 Workshops 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
2/14 Pennies for Patients Fundraiser Ends
2/14 Valentines Day Classroom Parties, Afternoon
2/14 3rd Grade Skate Trip to JM McDonald Center 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
2/17 - 2/21 NO SCHOOL - February Break
2/24 Girls Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/24 Chess Club 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
2/25 Boys Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/25 Math Club 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
2/25 BOE Meeting 6:30 p.m.
2/26 Girls Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/26 Boys Basketball 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
2/27 Select Orchestra 3:15-4:15 p.m.
2/27 Student Council Meeting 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
2/28 P2 Celebration @ Morning Program
Student Council
Pennies for Patients is calling all heroes to join our squad! Families, our student council has decided to take on blood cancer and our mission is to help find a cure. The fundraiser will run February 10th until February 14th.

Bring the Change Spirit Week
Peace and Love Penny Day - Wear your favorite tie-dye or bright colored shirt
Neon Nickel Day - Wear your brightest neon
Dazzling Dimes Day - Wear something shiny
Crazy Quarters Day - Wear a crazy hat or socks
Team Up for Leukemia Day - Wear your favorite team's jersey or colors (collecting all coins)

Check out the school link and get started with online donations today!
Family Engagement Survey
Recently letters were sent home sharing information about the district's  Family Engagement Survey.   We hope you received the information about our continuing school improvement efforts and will take a few minutes to share your feedback by completing the 25 question survey. Surveys provide information which we use in the decision making and planning processes as we begin to prepare for the upcoming school year.

The survey will be open through  February 28, 2020 .  The responses to the survey are anonymous and very important.     Please take ten to fifteen minutes and share your ideas, experiences and feedback! We want to hear from you!
 
 **Paper copies of the survey are also available at your child(ren)'s school. If you prefer to complete the survey on paper, please ask for a copy from the building office.
Instrument Recruitment
Third Grade Instrumental Recruitment
The 3rd grade instrumental recruitment process has started! It is an exciting time for our 3rd graders to pick their instrument. Our elementary instrumental teachers have been very busy getting started with the 3rd Grade Recruitment! Here is some information about the process. 

Recruitment Assemblies
First, Mrs. Allen (Band) and Mrs. Capano (Orchestra) hold a recruitment assembly for all 3rd Graders in mid January and demonstrate each instrument the students can choose from. They let the students ask questions about the instruments and the process. Each student will bring home the Sign Up Sheets for both band and orchestra. Please return the Sign Up Sheets with parent signature. Please remember to check the boxes for your first three choices. 

Hands On Day
Once your Sign Up Sheet has been turned in, Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Capano will schedule the Hands On Days and your child will be able to come down and try out each instrument. Once your child has chosen a final instrument, the District will supply your child with the instrument and lesson book. Instruments are lined up and ready to be handed out to any interested 3rd grader!

Beginner Lessons
We will start beginner instrumental lessons this spring. We will schedule the lessons during the school day, and arrange the lesson times with the classroom teachers. We will be sure to send home a paper copy as well as email a copy home. Beginner Lessons are an exciting time for the student to learn the basics of how to make a good sound on their instrument, develop good posture and playing position, and learn note reading skills. 

Join Smith Orchestra or Smith Band
Your child will be able to join our beginner music ensembles here at Smith Intermediate as they make more progress on their instrument. The instrumental teachers will let you know when your child is ready to play in the group, and later participate in the concerts. This is typically towards the end of 3rd grade and continues into 4th grade and higher. The music department has amazing participation in all areas: band, orchestra, & chorus all the way to 12th grade!

As music department chair, Mrs. Rafferty says, “At this point we are proud to announce that approximately 80% of students in the elementary school are participating in some form of music ensemble. We hope to grow this number by having more and more students play an instrument or join chorus.” Please sign your child up for an instrument and join our musical family!

Please contact Mrs. Allen eallen@cortlandschools.org or Mrs. Capano acapano@cortlandschools.org   or call Smith Intermediate School 758-4180 if you have any questions.
4th Grade Band
The 4th grade band students learned how to clean their instruments during a recent lessons. Disassemble- clean with soapy water- rinse & dry - reassemble. It was a fun day!
Report Cards
It is time for your child’s 20-week report card. This signals the halfway point in the school year. Is your child doing as well as you had hoped?

Please take time to review the report card with your child. Talk about areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. Let your child know that you support his/her efforts. Set goals with your child for the next 10 weeks. What does he/she hope to accomplish? What is the specific plan to get there and how will you track progress?

If you have questions or concerns, or just would like some more ideas about how to help your child, please contact us. We want to work with you to help your child succeed.
All Star Attendance
(95% or better)
For Second Quarter 2019-2020

3rd Grade: Khelsea Alexander, Rashad Allen, Landon Arnold, Kaylee Bach, Miles Bacigalupi, Landon Bartholomew, Maxwell Blaske, Makayla Brown, Dana Brown-Townsend, Rebecca Byrnes, Mason Call, Daniel Caragher, Anthony Cherry, Kenli Church, Jaxon Clark, Carter Compagni, Mason Cotright, Steven Cowen, Brenik Darling, Lincoln Dorsett, Aiden Dovi, Zakariya Eaton, Emmaleigh Eckstrom, Elle Farkas, Izsabella Farley, Jonah Fassett, Vanessa Felicino, Emma Fitchette, Emily Ford, Dylan Furze, Zoey Griffin, Gavin Hall, Taleah Hartley, Briahnna Heath, Hannah Hornbrook, Caleb Johnson, Jonathan Kanichuk, Christopher Kuretich, Kaylee Loveall-Whittin, Nehemiah Lunsford, Briannon MacHenry, Liam Madden, Juniper Maloney, Leia Marshall, Sadie Marshall, Abigail Martin, Jazmine Maxwell, Owen McGraw, Kylie Miller, Ryan Mones, Sophia Morgan, Khrystopher Nelson, Cerenity Peer, Braxten Perry, Mia Petrella, Rylan Phillips, Micah Phillips, Margaret Ramiza, Emma Rice, Kennedy Rice, Makalynne Rundell, Logan Seamon, Lauren Senno, Anthani Stevens, Dalton Stillman, Samuel Szczesny, Shelby Thacker, Elliana Totman, Madeline VanPatten, Patrick White, Alexander Woodward

4th Grade: Jamarcus Alexander, Kayden Alexander, Georgy Antonov, Emilee Auchmoody, Audrina Banner, Aaliyah Barber, Danica Barron, Jack Bartholomew, Markiz Bryant, Natalie Burns, Cooper Carmer, Marcus Conklin, Anelia Corbin, Diandra Cox, Steven Crotwell, Aiden Davis, Simone Densmore, Bentley Dingman, Casslyn Elliott, Maya Evans, Zowie Fuller, Johnathan Garrison, MacKenzie Gassner, Nicholas Gillespie, Tyler Hanson, Aliea Hartwick, Shaniya Henry, Emma Honan, Payton Hutchings, Emelia Johnson, Tucker Kelley, Brandon Kopp, Bohdan Kostiuk, Chaelyn Lodman, Tegan MacDowell, Cole Milligan, Brookley Mostert, Daniel Murray, JaLaya Nelson, Alivia Parsons, Cara Partigianoni, Izaah Perry, Khloe Rodriguez, Evan Rogoff, Justin Sallis, Alexandria Saunders, Olivia Schaap,Tyler Schultze, Camden Shimizu, Alexis Spooner, Paige St. John, Caiden Storie, Adrien Thalheimer, Lacee underwood, Ahmir VanDee, Joshua Veintimilla, Lucy Weaver, Eli West, McKenna West, Ethan Westmiller, Aurora Wood, Noah Wood, Gabriel Wurst, Juliana Zarcone
Science is Fun
In fourth grade science, we are learning about the phases of the moon. We spent time learning what each phase means, we watched videos and looked at pictures to learn about what each phase looks like. We even created each moon phase using Oreo cookies to help us remember. The best part was that we were able to eat the final product! The moons tasted delicious!
Arrival and Dismissal Reminders
 Doors open at 8:00 a.m.. Students should not arrive prior to that time, as supervision is not available. Students arriving after 8:30 am are tardy. Please send in a note or come to the office with your child.

Walkers are dismissed at 3:10 p.m.. All walkers should go directly home.  
School Notes...
Winter is here…
 
Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Unless it is extremely cold, we go outside daily for recess.  On warmer days, boots are still a good idea as the playground tends to get muddy.  

E-mailing Your Child’s Teacher...

Parents, please keep in mind that our teachers are very busy during the day with your children. They may not have a chance to check their email until the end of the day. 

**If you have a message that they will need prior to the end of the day, please call our main office 758-4180. 
News From The Nurse
Call the school if your child is going to be  tardy  or  absent.  Send in a written note when your child returns. 
  • Keep the Nurse informed of any phone number changes, including emergency contacts and any health concerns.
  • Return clothing borrowed from the nurse’s office. Keep a change of clothes in your child's backpack for accidents.
  • Check your child’s head/hair daily for lice/nits. Treat & comb out lice/nits if found.
  • Submit a Physical form from your healthcare provider for your child (grade 3, or new to the school district)
  • Make an appointment for your child to get a physical or a school physical will be provided.
Innovators Club
The students in the 3rd and 4th grade Innovators Clubs have been learning how to code using Blockley. Now that they’ve had some experience with coding, they are using our Library Robots, Hero, Rainbow, and Paige, to perform different activities. The students are having a great time working with their teams to make the robots do some fun and exciting things.
Public Library
Offerings

Lunch and Breakfast are Provided for
ALL Students!
Get Social With Us @CECSD_Smith
  Stay tuned for our newsletter next month!