Spartan Update- Week of 10/27/25

Posted Date: 10/25/25 (9:00 AM)

Spartan Update

Week of 10/27/25

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.

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 our activity night parent and family chaperones! Turnout was huge and the students had a fun evening at our first activity night of the year! Thank you to our staff and adult volunteers who made this happen!

Spirit Week Next Week!

For some fun in the fall we are hosting a spirit week the week of 10/27:

Monday 10/27 - Twin/Matching Day (or school spirit to match with lots of students!)
Tuesday 10/28 - Sports Day
Wednesday 10/29 -Pajama Day
Thursday 10/30- Board Game/Game Show Day
Friday 10/31- Character/Costume Day

As a part of our spirit week, students will be allowed to wear costumes to school on Friday, October 31st. Costumes must follow regular 4J dress code, as stated in the 4J Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Also, be aware of how your child's costume may impact others. We want students to have fun with their costume and be creative without hurting anyone else's feelings. In accordance with our school Harassment and Racism Free Zone (HRFZ) commitment, our No Place for Hate work, and the 4J school district's discrimination and harassment policy, we ask that costumes not perpetuate stereotypes about groups of people.

Finally, we ask that Halloween costumes do not include masks, full face paint, excessive amounts of fake blood, internal organs and/or fluids on the outside of the body, and no fake or real weapons of any kind.

Some examples of costumes that violate these guidelines and that would not be allowed:

Dressing up as an “overweight tourist” makes fun of physical characteristics.
Dressing up as a homeless person makes fun of someone’s economic status.
Boy dressing up as a girl (or vice versa) mocks another person’s gender or gender identity.
Dressing up as a person from another cultural background, ethnicity, or race makes fun of personal identity.

We recommend that students who are struggling with navigating these costume decisions try dressing up as someone they admire or a fictional character in a movie or book, or as an animal or an inanimate object instead!

Students that violate these guidelines will be asked to modify their costume, change out of their costume and wear their regular clothes, or have a change of clothing brought from home. Thank you for your help with this.

Picture Retakes Tuesday Morning

Our picture retakes will be on Tuesday (10/28) morning.

Reminder Site Council Meeting Monday

SBMS is rebuilding its site council and the first meeting is the 27th from 6:00-7:00 in the library! We would love to have families represented. For more information, please see below.

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

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Paula Nolan

Principal

Spencer Butte Middle School

541-790-8300 | nolan_p@4j.lane.edu

Upcoming Events

Please click here for the SBMS Events Calendar

10/27: First Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:00 (more info)

10/28: Picture Make Up Day (Corrected Date)

10/27-31: Spirit Week

11/7: SBMS Family and Student Movie Night 6:00-8:00

Resource: Mobile Food Pantry

The Oregon Department of Human Services has begun notifying families that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not receive additional benefits after 10/31/25 due to the federal government shutdown. I am working to find and share resources with our families who may be impacted by this change. I was recently given this information about Food for Lane County's mobile food pantry. I will share more pertinent information about food distributions to our families if I am made aware of additional opportunities.

A distribution calendar for the FOOD For Lane County Mobile Pantry, presented in both English and Spanish.

The schedule is as follows:

Unitarian Universalist, Eugene: 1st and 3rd Fridays, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.

Bethel School District, Eugene: 1st and 3rd Thursdays, 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM.

Cottage Grove (7th and Whiteaker): 2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM.

Sheldon Community Center, Eugene: 2nd Fridays, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

Bob Keefer Center, Springfield: Last Fridays, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

The flyer includes a reminder: "Please bring your own bags!" and lists foodforlanecounty.org for more information. Partner logos are displayed at the bottom.

Food for Lane County Resources

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