Jag Wire

Welcome Back, Jags! We hope everyone had a great fall break and is ready to jump back in! We have a busy and exciting few weeks ahead as we kick off Term 2, and we can’t wait to see our Jags back in action.

We ended Term 1 on a high note, with more than 800 students earning an invitation to our first No Tardy Party of the year! Way to go, Jags! We’ll keep celebrating student growth, attendance, and a commitment to excellence as we work toward our next big celebration—our second Roar Rally! A new term is a fresh start, and how we start matters. Let’s make it count!

We have some fun things happening this week! Wednesday is Unity Day, so wear orange to stand against bullying, and Friday is Pink Out Day in support of breast cancer awareness and research. We’ll also wrap up our football season on Tuesday, and would love to see you at our games to cheer on our Jags!

On Friday, students will also participate in a fentanyl awareness lesson during advisory as part of our ongoing commitment to student safety and well-being. We encourage families to check out the information linked below and take time to talk with your child about drug safety and awareness.

We’re ready to get back to learning, making memories, and celebrating all the great things happening at SMS. Ready. Set. Roar!

Your Proud Principal,

Cholly Oglesby

Monday, October 19th

Elective Tutorials

Beginning of Term 2

Girls Basketball Tryouts Begin

Virtual Book Study (The Anxious Generation) @ 6:00pm

Tuesday, October 20th

Science Tutorials

Football vs. Fort Settlement MS @ 5:30pm (Austin HS)

Wednesday, October 21st

ELA Tutorials

Unity Day (Wear Orange)

Term 1 Grades Post to Skyward Family Access

Thursday, October 22nd

Math Tutorials

Friday. October 23rd

Social Studies Tutorials

Fentanyl Awareness Training (Advisory)

Level Change Window Closes

Pink Out Day

Theatre Fall Play @ 6:00pm

SAVE THE DATE

October 26th-30th: Red Ribbon Week

October 26th: 6th Grade No Tardy Party Recess

October 26th: Boys Basketball Tryouts Begin

October 27th: 7th Grade No Tardy Party Recess

October 28th: PSAT Testing (8th Grade Only)

October 29th: 8th Grade No Tardy Party Recess

October 29th: Fall Band Concert

October 30th: Pancakes for Progress Breakfast (Advisory)

October 30th: Fall Dance @ 6:00pm

October 30th: Spirit Day @ Parry's Pizza

November 4th: PTO Meeting

November 6th: End of Progress Report # 3

November 10th: College & Career Readiness (Parent University)

The race for the ice cream party is heating up! 6th grade is just ONE week away from securing the win, but it's not over yet! As we return from fall break, every day counts, and this week it's DOUBLE OR NOTHING! The grade level with the highest attendance percentage will earn double scoops.

Can 6th grade hold on to the lead, or will another grade make a comeback?

Let's see who takes the scoop!

Week of September October 5th

6th Grade: 98.41%

7th Grade: 97.61%

8th Grade: 98.30%

Are you interested in helping us with the Fall Dance on Friday, October 30th? We would love for you to come and volunteer! Please check out the PTO Website and sign up for one or more of the time slots listed and make sure you have completed the FBISD Background Check.

**Only parents that have registered to volunteer and have completed the background check will be allowed to attend the dance.**

Student tickets will be sold October 28th-30th for $5 at all lunches.

There is a growing threat to the health and safety of our youth that we want to bring to your attention. Fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death for people ages 18 to 45 in the U.S. Fentanyl is a man-made Schedule II narcotic that has reached a growing number of communities of all sizes across Texas and has impacted so many lives. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), within the last two years, teen overdose deaths related to Fentanyl have tripled. On October 23, 2026, our students will participate in the Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness lesson. The State of Texas (HB3908) requires school districts to annually provide students in grades 6–12 with research-based instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness. The required instruction in fentanyl prevention and drug poisoning awareness must include the following:

• Suicide prevention
• Prevention of abuse and addiction to fentanyl
• Awareness of local school and community resources and any processes involved in accessing those resources
• Health education that includes information about substance use and abuse, including youth substance use and abuse

If you would like to view the lesson and learn more, please visit the FBISD Fentanyl Poisoning

Awareness Webpage. We ask that you take time to talk with your child regarding the facts and dangers of Fentanyl Poisoning. Please contact your child’s grade-level administrator if you have

questions.

FBISD Fentanyl Awareness Video

All students must wear their school-issued ID badge and it must be visible and around your neck at all times. Students that have a lost or damaged ID badge will be required to purchase a new badge for $5.00. Charges will be assigned to the student's Skyward account and are only payable online. Payment must be received before the new badge is printed.

Helpful Reminders

• Store your badge at home in the same place every day or store it in your backpack everyday to help remind you to bring it to school!
• Keep the photo ID inside of the plastic sleeve and keep the lanyard attached to the plastic sleeve.
• Do not borrow or trade Student ID badges with other students.
• Do not bend the ID’s
• Do not cover your picture with paper
• If you forget your Student ID badge, you will be provided a temporary wristband. If you forget your ID badge once or even a couple times every 9-weeks, it’s okay...we all forget sometimes.

• Do not mark on, cut, or punch a hole in the Student ID badge or plastic sleeve. If you allow damage or destruction of your badge, it will need to be replaced and consequences will be enforced.

Forgotten/Lost Badge Consequences:

• 1st-3rd time- Student will be given a temporary wristband
• 4th time- Skyward Discipline Referral; Parent contact; $5.00 replacement
• 5th time-and beyond- Skyward Discipline Referral; Lunch Detention; One lunch detention/after-school detention added for each subsequent offense

Damaged/Destruction Consequence

• 1st-2nd Offense –Skyward Discipline Referral; student pays $5.00 replacement
• 3rd Offense and Beyond - Skyward Discipline Referral; $5.00 replacement; Assign ISS

For students who want to change levels (AAC to On-level or On-level to AAC), the window will open on September 2nd and close on October 23rd. Students will need to meet with their grade-level counselor to receive the form. They can submit a meeting request by stopping by the Student Center to complete a form or by visiting with their counselor during lunch. Please see the FBISD policy for leveling down below.

• Leveling down is contingent upon available space in the requested course.
• If the student levels down from a weighted class to a non-weighted class, the exact grade from the weighted class shall transfer to the on-level course with no grade adjustments.
• In the case of failing grades, teachers may assign alternative assignments in order to fulfill a grade change of up to a 70.
• The student has a class average below a 75.
• Requests for those with a 75 or higher with the intent to improve their GPA will not be approved.

• The following must be completed before the submission of a level down form.
• Student, parent, and teacher conference via phone or in person
• A success plan created, attempted, and monitored
• The student must attend a minimum of 3 tutorials
• The student must complete all assignments

Attached is a Carnegie Bluebonnet Family & Parent Support Resources flyer with helpful tools you can use to support your student’s math learning at home.

The flyer includes links to:

• Family Guides for Grades 6, 7, and 8 – These provide an overview of key concepts, important vocabulary, sample problems, and ideas for supporting your student at home.
• Support Videos for Grades 6, 7, and 8 – These videos demonstrate specific math strategies and concepts from the lessons.
• Carnegie Learning Interactive Homework – Students can access worked-out examples, hints, and instructional support when they need additional help.
• MATHia – Personalized digital math practice that provides hints and coaching. The recommended use is 60 minutes per week and assignments are provided by the teacher.
• MATHstream – Adaptive video instruction that provides reteaching and additional support when students need to strengthen their understanding.

The flyer also includes some simple ways families can help, such as asking your student to explain how they solved a problem and reviewing the Family Guide for the current module together.We hope these resources will make it easier for you to understand what your student is learning and provide additional support at home. The goal of Carnegie Bluebonnet is to help every student reason, problem-solve, and grow as a mathematician.

FBISD 8th grade students will take the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The PSAT 8/9 measures the reading, writing and language, and math skills students need to be ready for college and career.

Through a partnership between Khan Academy and the College Board, full-length practice tests and thousands of practice questions are available at www.satpractice.org. By linking their Khan Academy account with their College Board account, students can access free, personalized practice recommendations based on previous years’ test results that are tailored to their own strengths, weaknesses, and progress. The Official SAT Practice can be accessed from any computer with Internet access and includes practice questions that were written in collaboration with the same developers who created the SAT and PSAT.

We hope you find the Official SAT® Practice on Khan Academy helpful in preparing for this test!

PSAT Test Breakdown

Students or parents with questions about the tests are encouraged to contact their school counselor for more details.

Your child's NWEA MAP Growth scores are now available in Skyward in the Test Result tile. These assessments are given during the school year to help teachers understand what your child knows and what they are ready to learn next. For help accessing scores, please see the attached Skyward Job Aid for Parents. This year’s MAP Growth scores are based on updated national norms. The new national norms make sure your child’s MAP Growth results reflect how students across the country are performing today, giving teachers a more accurate picture for setting growth goals.

October is Bullying Prevention Month, and Fort Bend ISD is launching its Whole Child Health Bullying Prevention Campaign to promote kindness, respect, and inclusion. Families are encouraged to explore resources like the Family Prevention Flyer to support students. FBISD Bullying Posters are now displayed across campuses, and October 21st is Unity Day, please wear orange to show your support! Throughout the month, campuses will share Bullying Sound Bites to reinforce awareness and prevention. Let’s work together to make our campus a safe and welcoming place for every child.

6th Grade

Assistant Principal: Robin Gray

Robin.Gray@fortbendisd.gov

Counselor: Nicole Byrd

nicole.byrd@fortbendisd.gov

7th Grade

Associate Principal: Courtney Border

courtney.border@fortbendisd.gov

Lead Counselor: Amy Melby

amy.melby@fortbendisd.gov

8th Grade

Assistant Principal: Patricia Garza

patricia.garza@fortbendisd.gov

Counselor: Dawne Sanders

dawne.sanders@fortbendisd.gov

Attendance: Cynthia Trevizo-Gonzalez attendancesms@fortbendisd.gov

Registrar: Courtni Turner courtni.turner@fortbendisd.gov

Nurse: Michelle Middleton michelle.middleton@fortbendisd.gov

FBISD Back to School Resources

FBISD Student Code of Conduct

FBISD Student/Parent Handbook

2026-2027 Bus Route Locator

School Cafe (Lunch Accounts)

Skyward Family Access Support

FBISD Volunteer Application & Background Check

Sartartia PTO Website

SMS Club Participation Form