It's the SCOOP for January 21, 2021
Your weekly news from Santa Barbara Middle School
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For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman
(Read her full inauguration poem,
Dear SBMS Families,
From inauguration day to open houses and the day-to-day of getting back to school, this has been a historic week and reminds us that our work continues to be impactful and relevant. Lesson plans were shuffled around on Wednesday so classes could watch the presidential inauguration and be a part of the monumental day. To see our student body so passionate, engaged, and interested in our world inspires us as teachers and parents. What a momentous moment for all to witness. Our students breathe energy into this campus and remind us that despite all that is going on in the world, we are lucky to have these opportunities to learn and grow. Just look at all that has been accomplished this school year.
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We are so grateful that we have been able to get outside for adventure days with our sixth, seventh and ninth graders this week. There is no better medicine than hitting the trails to enjoy the fresh air with one another and we feel lucky to be able to squeeze these little expeditions in before the weather shifts next week. We are preparing for on and off again rain starting on Monday. This means our in-person learning schedule will shift to accommodate for the weather. On days where heavy rain is forecasted, we will plan to move to our rainy day schedule (see below in Important Announcements), which consists of three academic classes and a flex period with an early pick-up staggered by grade.
Our protocols continue to allow for in-person classes and we will keep working hard to provide the best and safest possible learning opportunities. We are prepared for the likely increase of cases within our school community that may force us to consider temporarily suspending on-campus activities and return to distance learning for a period of time. As always, we will keep you informed of the latest news and guidance and of our decisions.
Join us for a Cups and Questions next Thursday, January 28 from 8:15am-9:00am to touch base with Brian, Bianca and staff and ask any questions you may have. Thank you again for all of your support and understanding as we continue this hero’s journey.
To the Silver Linings,
Brian, Bianca and the SBMS Staff
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RAINY DAY SCHEDULES
On days where heavy rain is forecasted, we will plan to move to our rainy day schedule (see below in Important Announcements), which consists of three academic classes and a study hall period with an early pick-up staggered by grade. Since students will not be able to eat lunch outdoors and are not permitted to sit indoors with masks off, they will instead head home between 11:55am and 12:45pm to eat lunch. We will make a decision by 7pm the night before a potential rain day and inform families so that they can prepare for a shorter day and early pick-up. We may get some calls right and we may get some wrong, but we will stick with the decision we make, regardless of how the weather turns out. *Note that Friday schedules will remain the same*
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CUPS AND QUESTIONS
We will be hosting a Cups and Questions for current families next Thursday, January 28 at 8:15am. We will be discussing COVID safety updates, the current semester, and open up the floor to questions. Join us at the Zoom link here.
ZOOM ART CLASS
A reminder that Sophie will be starting Zoom art classes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, beginning on Tuesday, January 26. The classes will be held virtually after school from 3:30pm-4:15pm. This upcoming Tuesday will be watercolor painting and it will be open to applicant students. We will work on paper and canvas with watercolors and acrylics. We encourage students, families, and teachers to join!
Thursdays will be Yearbook Art. We will use a variety of materials to add a colorful and unique touch to our printed SBMS Yearbook by making full-page background paintings, drawings, lettering, calligraphy, etc. E-mail Sophie@sbms.org to sign up and to get on the class roster. There will be art materials to pick up at school next week for those who sign up. Come join Sophie for an art class on Tuesday or Thursday afternoon (or both if you are feeling it)! |
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THE WEEK AHEAD
Monday, January 25
Tuesday, January 26
3:30-4:15pm Admissions Watercolor Art Class with Sophie (Join here)
Wednesday, January 27
Thursday, January 28
3:30-4:15pm Sophie's Yearbook Class ( Join here)
Friday, January 29
11:55pm Town Meeting
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⚠️ WEEKLY SAFETY UPDATE ⚠️
We would like to give you all an update on COVID within our school community. We had a handful of students and a teacher test positive over the winter break while we were away from school. Luckily we had a week of Zoom distance learning to help distance us from any exposure and give us time to contact trace these cases. Because they occurred off-campus and any close contacts occurred 14 days prior to our return to campus, we are allowed to remain open and there is no impact on the cohorts.
We will continue to monitor these cases closely and students with the virus, a close contact or any symptoms will continue classes from home through distance learning. Please remember that it is imperative to keep your child home from school if they are feeling sick or have had a close contact. As the numbers grow locally, more and more of us are being impacted and recognizing the severity of this pandemic. Please continue to follow guidelines, wear a mask and socially distance out of school so we can stay in school. We are here to help and support you through this pandemic and assist you with your return to campus plan if the virus is contracted within your household. Thank you again for all your efforts and adherence to our health and safety protocols.
Additional Resources
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CONGRATS JAKE!
Congrats to Jake and Christine on the birth of their baby girl! We could not be more excited to help you welcome her into the world.
Somebody couldn’t hide from 2021 long enough and had to meet this crazy world. Amelie Sequoia Lindelof has arrived! She weighs 5 pounds 7 ounces. Born on January 15th, MLK’s birthday. She’ll be raised and encouraged to continue the fight for a more loving world; anything more than that is icing on the cake.
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WELCOME SAVANNA
You may be seeing some new faces around campus to help with COVID-19 protocols, electives, subbing, and more! If you have not said hello to alumni Savanna yet, make sure to do so next time you see her around campus!
I was born and raised in Santa Barbara and as a matter of fact, I am a sixth-generation Santa Barbarian! I had the honor of attending SBMS from sixth grade all the way through ninth grade. Some may say that I am “grandfathered” into this school. My grandfather Al Heimlich worked alongside my aunt Whitney Ingersoll in mapping out the routes for Santa Barbara Middle School’s Rite of the Wheel rides back in the mid-1980s. My role at SBMS includes taking student's and staff members' temperatures, monitoring students during lunch and helping with electives. Ever since my Rites of Passage, it has been a dream of mine to work here at SBMS!
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LICK THE PLATE
Lick The Plate will be hosted only on Thursday of this upcoming week. Sounds delicious!
Thursday, January 28 from 4-6pm
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SBMS BOOK CLUB
The next book club read will be“Untamed” by Glennon Doyle and we will be meeting to discuss on Monday, March 8 from 9:30-10:30am.
Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.
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ON THE HORIZON
Please note that dates and events are subject to change and updates will be communicated. **Subject to SBMS COVID-19 Committee & Public Health Guidance**
February 2021
Friday, February 5: Admissions Applications Due for New Families
Friday, Feb. 12 - Monday, Feb. 15: Presidents Holiday Weekend - No School**
March 2021
Monday, March 15 – Friday, March 26: Spring Break
Monday, March 29: Classes Resume
April 2021
Saturday, April 24: Songfest
Monday, April 26: No School / Faculty In-Service
May 2021
Monday, May 24 - Friday, June 4: All-School EOY Experiential Education Weeks
Monday, May 31: Memorial Day
June 2021
Friday, June 18: Rites of Passage
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