Spartan Update 4/28/25

Hello SBMS Community!

It was wonderful to see so many of our families attend the Art Extravaganza last Thursday. Thank you to Ms. Noyes, Ms. Mimms, and Ms. Hansen for organizing the event and another thank you to students for your contributions of art pieces and for the music that was played that evening!

Teacher Appreciation Week- Next Week

Next week is teacher appreciation week and I am wondering if there are any families who would be able to assist us by donating items towards a sandwich bar lunch for the teachers. If you are interested in helping with that, please click here to see items we are hoping to offer.

1. Student Book Swap 5/30- Donations accepted for summer reading books
2. Please return overdue books that are checked out from the library
3. April is Arab American Heritage Month

Thank you for your time in reading this week's Spartan Update. If you need any assistance, please contact the office at 541-790-8300 or contact me at nolan_p@4j.lane.edu.

Have a nice day,

Paula

Paula Nolan

Principal

Spencer Butte Middle School

We would appreciate you helping your student search for and return any SBMS library books and textbooks that are overdue from both this year and last. In total, there are over 120 books from this year and last year and we need your help!

If you determine that a book is lost, we accept new or gently used replacements or you may pay for a replacement in our front office.

On 5/30 students will have the opportunity to participate in an optional book swap to build up their summer reading titles! Students who are participating bring in books to trade- but we are always looking to supplement the options!

If you have some gently used books that you'd like to donate for the library's summer reading brown bag book swap, whether or not your child participates, we'd love to take them off your hands!

These donations help supplement the inventory beyond what students will donate themselves (1-6 books). Simply drop off the books in the library. Thanks for your continued support of our library.

Arab American Heritage Month

April marks Arab American Heritage Month. This month is an opportunity to honor the past and present contributions of Arab Americans in the United States. In 2021, Oregon was the second state in the nation to recognize Arab American Month.

From New York City Public Schools:

The Arab American community, which today numbers roughly 3.7 million people has deep historical roots. The first known Arab immigrants arrived in 1527, before the United States was even its own country, and there have been several waves of immigration into the United States since then.

Today, Arab Americans have roots in 22 countries located in the Middle East and North Africa. In addition to the many nationalities represented, Arab Americans are also diverse in faith—despite a common misconception, not all Arabs are Muslim—as well as race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and ability. Within their diverse community, Arab Americans are connected by their primary language, Arabic, as well as by their shared history and culture.

Volunteers are incredible forces in the lives of our students. We have many volunteer opportunities at SBMS- activity nights, field trips, and in-school events are a few examples. To be a volunteer, there's a two-step process:

1. Volunteer Application
2. Background Check

If you've been a volunteer in the past, your background check is good for 2 years.

We will share our volunteer opportunities through the Spartan Update and emails to families. To get the process started, please click the button below.

SBMS activity nights are a fantastic way for students to connect with one another in a fun way! We host a game room, open gym, movie room, dance hall, snack bar, and lobby hang-out. Giving students a variety of supervised choices takes help and we would love to have you join us. There is no set-up and no clean-up on your part! Chaperones come a little bit early to get signed in and assigned to a station, and leave right after the dance!

Detailed information about the dance (what is there to do, etc...) is in the calendar section of this newsletter (scroll down and look for a mirrorball).

If you are interested in helping at our upcoming activity night on May 23rd (click here) or contact Stephanie our school secretary at 541-790-8300 or at minter_s@4j.lane.edu

What is there to do at the Activity Night?

This Activity Night will consist of a dance in the large gym, open gym in the small gym, a movie room, a game room, and areas to snack and hang out in the lobby.

How much does it cost?

Wristbands will be sold during the school day on Wednesday and Thursday before the dance for $4, or students can pay $5 at the door. As always, no student will be excluded due to inability to pay, please contact Stephanie in the office if this is a hardship for your family.

Who can attend?

Activity Nights are for Spencer Butte students only. Students need to be present at school for at least half the day to attend, unless prior arrangements have been made with administration.

Will there be food there?

We are working on this but due to nutrition guidelines that restrict purchasing, we aren't sure. We will update this space as we get closer to the dance.

When does it dance start and end?

This activity night starts at 6:00pm and ends at 8:00 pm.

Can students enter and leave and enter again?

No.

Can students leave early?

If a student wishes to leave prior to the end of the dance, they may do so as long as a parent/guardian picks them up. If your student is leaving early with another parent, we will need individual parent permission for each student. This is most easily achieved with a note from a parent that can be given to staff at the dance.

Verifying permission to leave early or with non-custodial adults often causes a delay for students who are wanting to leave quickly, so we appreciate students staying until the end of the dance if possible. Additionally, we usually have a wave of students wanting to leave 15-30 minutes early. Verifying that early departure is permitted does take staff away from other supervision- so we would appreciate students waiting to be released at the end the dance if they are looking to leave 15-30 minutes early.

Do the school expectations still apply after school?

Yes. This is a school function so it falls under the same expectations of Spencer Butte Middle School and the 4J school district. We recognize our students’ need for fun and we appreciate your partnership in providing a safe environment for our students.

Can parents volunteer?

SBMS activity nights are a fantastic way for students to connect with one another in a fun way! We host a game room, open gym, movie room, dance hall, snack bar, and lobby hang-out. Giving students a variety of supervised choices takes help and we would love to have you join us. There is no set-up and no clean-up on your part! Chaperones come a little bit early to get signed in and assigned to a station, and leave right after the dance!

When?

We are here as a part of your child's team. Whenever I have the opportunity to speak with a parent about something involving a class I always ask if they've had a chance to connect with the teacher. I ask that question because involving the teacher is the most powerful thing that we can do to help your child in class.

Our teachers love to hear from parents. Whether there is information about something happening in the student's life, a fun story about when your child spoke about the class at home, concerns about academic progress, or questions about the class, connecting with staff is the first and most important step in helping your student to succeed.

There are many ways to connect with staff. Sending an email or message in Canvas is the most direct way of reaching teachers. You can also call the school at 541-790-8300 and leave a message for a teacher to return.

Contacting Teachers Via Email

To find a teacher's email address, please access our directory below.

[Link to SBMS Staff Directory: https://spencerbutte.4j.lane.edu/41178_2 ]

Contacting Teachers Via the Canvas Parent App*

You may find the Canvas Parent app the easiest way to send a message. When in the app you can send a message by tapping on a course name and then the speech bubble emoji in the bottom right corner. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the inbox, tap on the speech bubble emoji, and then select the teacher/course you are intending to send the message to.

Canvas on Desktop*

If you are accessing Canvas via desktop you are able to send a message through the Inbox feature. To use that, follow the directions below:

1. Click on the Inbox logo/name on the left hand side of the screen.
2. Once you are in the Inbox, look at the top of the webpage and then click the pictogram that looks like a pencil writing on paper.
3. After you do that, you can select the course/teacher you are attempting to contact.

*Information about how to access Canvas is below.

Canvas is the online learning platform that parents can use to track grades and what is happening in classes (announcements, due dates, etc...). It is a very important tool to use and I recommend that every parent/guardian uses their Canvas Observer account (accessed via the web or the Canvas Parent app on your phone).

The information below will tell new and returning users how to activate their Canvas Observer account for this school year.

All new and returning users must activate their account before you can start using Canvas Observer (even if you had an account last year). To activate your account , complete the following steps:

1. Visit 4J’s Canvas for Families webpage and click on “Forgot Password?”

2. Enter the email you provided your child’s school and then click the “Request Password” box

3. Enter a password after clicking the reset link you receive in your email

4. Return to the Canvas for Families webpage to log in with your username and new password

One account per email- Canvas Observer will not allow you to activate more than one account if parents/guardians have the same email address on file for their student. In this case, contact your school and provide a unique email address for each parent or guardian associated with your student.

Please contact us at 541-790-8300 or email me at nolan_p@4j.lane.edu if you run into any problems with activating your account.

Having the ParentSquare app will allow you to receive instant notifications from the school (in addition to emails). By going to this site or downloading the app you can get registered in a few minutes. Setup is pretty easy (I did it last year for my own parent account). Basically, you'll create your account and then you'll be asked to link your children to your account. The site or app will walk you through the process. If you need any help with it, please call us at 541-790-8300.

This platform is being used at all schools and I encourage our community to download it so you get the instant notifications in addition to emails.