Skip to main content

Spencer Butte Middle School

Spartan Update- Week of 10/13/25

Posted Date: 10/09/25 (2:45 PM)

A logo for Spencer Butte Middle School. 

The logo features a stylized illustration of a school building situated on a stylized landscape with rolling hills and water. 

The building is depicted in dark navy blue, with large, light-blue windows visible.  Pine trees are outlined in light blue  at the top of the image, behind the building. The hills and water are rendered in varying shades of light blue.

Below the illustration, the words "SPENCER BUTTE" are written in a clean, sans-serif font in dark navy blue.  "Middle School" is written in a smaller, matching font below that. The overall color scheme is cool toned, using shades of blue and white.

Spartan Update

Week of 10/13/25

Picture of a school that captures the SBMS school campus area under a bright, clear sky. The architecture is characterized by mid-century modern design elements: slanted rooftops with clean lines, supported by slender columns, giving a sense of openness and functionality.

The foreground features a row of trees, some with lush green foliage and others displaying vibrant autumnal colors, suggesting a transition in seasons. These trees add natural warmth and breathing space to the otherwise structured environment. Alongside the trees, neatly kept bushes and a paved walkway create a welcoming atmosphere for students or visitors.

In the background, the school buildings are made of stucco and large glass windows, emphasizing both durability and the importance of natural light. The overall scene evokes a tranquil, well-maintained educational setting.
A vibrant blue banner for "National Hispanic Heritage Month" features "2025" in large, colorful, decorative numbers on the left, surrounded by floral motifs. The text "NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH" is aligned to the right, with "NATIONAL" in orange, "HISPANIC" in teal, and "HERITAGE MONTH" in light purple.
Close-up of a woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair.  She is wearing glasses with black frames and a gray, possibly knit, turtleneck-style sweater. The sweater has a slightly asymmetrical design at the neckline, with two visible round, light gray or beige buttons.

Note from Principal Paula Nolan

Thank you to all of the parents and families who were able to support our Walk the Amazon whole-school community celebration on Wednesday! Students had a great time building connections with peers and staff on the morning Amazon Creek Walk/Clean-Up and again in the afternoon when we continued our community celebration with Prince Puckler's Ice Cream and fun activities to do with friends and SBMS staff.

Connection to school and to peers is an important factor when it comes to high school graduation and events like this help students to build those positive ties.

I always tell people that SBMS is a special place and our school community's effort with our fundraiser and our community celebration is a great example of what our community can achieve when we work together.

Thank you again to all of our families for all you do to support your child and our school.

Attendance Support
School attendance is incredibly important and we are here to help all of our students attend school regularly. We are heading into week 7 of the term and we will be contacting families if our records indicate that a student may be having irregular attendance. Most of the time a lack of attendance this early in the school year is due to seasonal illnesses, but sometimes there are things that are impacting a student's attendance that are not related to health. If that is the case we want to support our students by working with their families. Even if you are not contacted about attendance, if you are ever aware of anything that is making it hard for your child to come to school, please let us know.

Contact Me
I am here to be of service to our entire school community. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, concerns, or just want to connect about how to help your child this school year. My contact information is below and also at the very bottom of every newsletter.

-Paula

----
Paula Nolan
Principal
Spencer Butte Middle School
541-790-8300 | nolan_p@4j.lane.edu
 

Support for Students- Ophelia's Place

Ophelia's Place is a partner with Eugene 4J and SBMS. Through this partnership we are able to provide programming that supports our school community:
  • Classroom presentations to all students
  • Girl Empowerment Groups
  • Young Amazing Women of Color Empowerment Groups
  • Parent Education opportunities
Topics range from developing self-esteem, poverty, social relationships, body image, and a variety of other challenges that come with being a young person in today’s highly complex world.

How Can My Student Get Involved?
If you have a child who would benefit from one of their girls' groups, please contact Margaret Albright at albright_m@4j.lane.edu
 

Repeat: SBMS Site Council

Interested in helping improve student achievement at SBMS? The SBMS Site Council brings together a variety of voices (teachers, classified staff, parents/guardians, and administration) to work as a team to support the work of the school. DIfferent from a PTA/PTO, the site council examines school plans, data, and goals to provide feedback about school initiatives. 

Our first site council meeting is 10/27 from 6:00-7:00. If you would like to learn more about site council, please click below! You can also contact me if you have any questions.
More Information- Site Council
 

Repeat: 10/24 Activity Night 6:00-8:00 (Would you like to help?)

On Friday October 24th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm (with final entry at 6:30 PM for students arriving late), we will be having our first Activity Night of the school year!

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 a 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. Our Kindness Fundraiser provides the assistance funding for students.

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?
It is unlikely that we will have food there.

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 and guardians 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 at 5:45 to get signed in and find their station, and they leave right after the dance!

If you would like to help with the activity night on 10/24, please click here, or contact Stephanie at 541-790-8300.
The image features a mirrored disco ball that has irregular grooves and a small, equidistant grid pattern laid on top of it.

The ball also features a loop at the top, and a reflection of a dark wall with numerous windows reflecting off the mirror surface below.

The ball appears to be hanging at a slight angle in space, with the bottom of the ball being closer to the viewer and the top pointing towards the ceiling. This creates the illusion of reflections that are larger at the bottom and smaller at the top.

The background is completely white, giving the image a pure and clean aesthetic.
Volunteer Sign Up
 

Upcoming Events


10/24: Activity Night 6:00-8:00
10/27: Picture Make Up Day
10/27: First Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:00 (more info)
10/27-31: Spirit Week
Example calendar with dates pinned
 
How to Contact SBMS Staff
SBMS Website Link
 

Contact Paula

I am here to support the SBMS community. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me. You can reach out via the following ways:

  • 541-790-8300
  • nolan_p@4j.lane.edu
Person using a laptop