M 'n M
Welcome Back Newsletter
From the desk of Mrs. Jessica Boytim, SMS Principal
We are looking forward to seeing you soon!
Take Care,
Mrs. Boytim
Schedules
- All students should be able to access their schedules in PowerSchool at this time
- Any issues or questions please email your grade level principal
- Please note we do not take requests for teams or staff and schedules are final at this time; if you do have a specific question or you see a discrepancy on your schedule that needs immediate change, please contact your grade level counselor so they can assist you and your need.
6th Grade: spietrocini@scsmustangs.org
7th Grade: astaats@scsmustangs.org
8th Grade: kgerber@scsmustangs.org
FIRST DAY REMINDERS
Bus Riders- be sure to be at your bus stop location 10 minutes prior to your pick-up time. Please see your PowerSchool homepage, transportation and your bus pick up location and bus number. Please contact our transportation office at with any questions prior to the first day of school.
Here Comes the Bus App- We are having some technical issues with the Here Comes the Bus App. Transportation is aware of the issue and is working on an immediate solution. They will notify families when the app is functioning properly again. However, ALL parents will have to delete and then add their children again into the app. If you do not do this step, then you will not see accurate data for this school year.
BOOKBAGS- Students are not permitted to carry backpacks around the building from class to class. However, until students are assigned lockers on the first day of school, we are asking they bring their materials and keep them in their backpacks, and take them to their designated location first thing on the first day of school. Thereafter, students will take their bookbags directly to their locker and go to their first period class.
LOCKERS: Students will be assigned their lockers on the first day of school. Please bring school assigned locks from last year (7/8th) to place on your new lockers. 6th graders and new students will get their locks and locker assignments on the first day of school. Teams will use dedicated time to practice this with students and organize their materials.
LUNCH: Students can pack a lunch or purchase one in our cafeteria. Students have many options for a full lunch- a main, vegetable, fruit and milk complete this for students. Students can also buy extras (snacks, single items, or beverage as well) Students use their Student ID to purchase or cash. Please provide online payment or cash to load money to your account.
WATER BOTTLES- we have a filtered water fountain system. We encourage students to bring a closed top reusable bottle to fill to consume water throughout the day. Students cannot have any other beverage at school or open cups (straws, slip tops, open) Please do not send special drinks for students to have at school- only water is allowed. Thank you.
FIRST DAY CLASSES: Students have an altered schedule the first three days for our PBIS Kick Off week. It is meant to introduce staff and students, and establish relationships, reinforce expected behavior and reteach and communicate our systems. Teachers will help students know this schedule on the first day. See where each grade should go upon entering the building Wednesday:
- 6- Report to the AUDITORIUM with bookbag upon arrival. Teachers will meet you there.
- 7- Report to pod to1st period class
- 8- Report to pod to 1st period class
PE CLASSES: Students taking PE for the first quarter/semester will have an assigned dress code. Do not worry about this on the first day. Students will also need to bring their own lock for the locker room if this is their first quarter/semester class.
COMPUTERS: Students are expected to have a fully charged computer every day. We do not allow charging during the day for students. Therefore, please make sure your student is prepared for the day. Students need to bring their computers in their computer cases so they are transported safely. If your student is a new student 6-8 and you did not exchange or get your device yet, please be sure to have your student go to the Media Center during their IE and do so.
MUSIC: Students will NOT need their instruments the first day of school. Directors will inform students when they need to bring their instruments.
SMS OPEN HOUSE- August 16th, 5-7 p.m.
Come early and enjoy Off the Griddle and Kona Ice , available for purchase from 4:15-7:00 p.m. A picnic area will be set up to enjoy time with your family and others at SMS! We look forward to kicking off the school year and seeing everyone soon!
ARRIVAL/ DISMISSAL PARKING MAP
ARRIVAL: See the parking lot diagram below- It is imperative that all car riders entering the school lot follow this diagram strictly.
Bus riders ONLY will enter the main entrance.
Car riders ONLY will enter door Q and R (Back of school see diagram and unload ONLY in drop off area)- the lane around the school is ONE LANE. Do not pass as this will endanger students exiting their cars and may cause accidents. Also at the stop sign, it only transitions to a one lane exit)
Staff will enter Door S
We need to be diligent at following these rules so we can monitor our doors properly to ensure school safety. We also need to respect the rules and model this for our students to ensure an efficient system.
DISMISSAL- We need grace and patience as we navigate our new parking lot system. Parents need to wrap the building, similar as drop off. You can notify your student where in the loop you are if they have a device to look at when they finish their day. Students will exit the back doors to find their cars. Bus riders will exit the front doors.
Please do not encourage your student to meet you in other nearby locations to get into your car- this creates a HUGE safety issue as cars are exiting and entering, and affects our Pearl Road traffic. If we efficiently use our system and are patient, we hope to get all out of the lot the best we can.
2022-23 Important Back to School Dates
- Open House: August 16th, - Food Trucks(4:15-7p.m.), Meet and Greet and Tour your Schedule (5-7p.m.)
- First Day of School: August 17th, 7:55 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., 6-8th grade
6th Grade Orientation!
Team Leaders
Cruisers- R. Sobus
Vikings- G. Quien
Admirals- C.Otcasek
Captains- J. Scott
Discoverers- S. Sokolowski
Globetrotters- T. Fike
Pioneers- S. Baker
Seekers- M. Hertel
Dragons- D. Blackman
Pirates- T. Britton
Crusaders- S. Silvestri
Vanguards- A. Cletzer
Guardians- S. Conner
Voyagers:
M. Wray
B. Wilson
T. Taylor
School Supplies 22-23
Please note: We are adopting a color coding system to help students organize and develop skills throughout 6-8th grade. Please purchase the following colors for each subject area's notebooks and folders.
Math- red
ELA- green
Social Studies- blue
Science -yellow
Voyagers (Encore courses)- black and gray
Administrative Team
Mrs. Jessica Boytim
Mrs. Justina Peters
Grade 6
Grade 7: Discoverers and Globetrotters
Mr. Bryan Szczepanski
Grade 8
Grade 7: Pioneers and Seekers
School Counselors
Mrs. Pietrocini
Office: 2nd Floor Office
Mrs. Staats
Office: 2nd Floor Office
Mrs. Gerber
Office: 3rd Floor Office
SMS Athletics: Mustang Athletic Pulse from SMS AD, Mr. Jason Keppler
Hello and welcome back Middle School Mustangs! As the dog days of summer begin to pass and temperatures start to cool that means one thing to an athletic department, the onset and return of fall sports! Congratulations to all of our fall athletes and good luck this season! Please read along to keep your "pulse" on SMS's Athletics.
Athletic Website:
Beginning this year athletic schedules, results, and recaps will be posted on the website linked below. Families can also find other pertinent athletic information there (forms, sports medicine info, rules, ticket purchasing, live stream info, etc...). Currently, this a work in progress but you'll see all of the features launch as the season progresses.
Strongsvilleathletics.org
Ticket Purchasing:
This year the athletic department will be transitioning to an online/virtual form of ticketing. Cash sales may or may not continue for ticketed events. As the department knows more we'll continue to provide updates. The virtual ticketing agent we'll use is HomeTown Ticketing. You might want to download that app if you plan on attending any games to familiarize yourself with this process.
Student Athlete Eligibility:
-Students athletes who have outstanding previous academic year fees or unpaid Pay-to-Play fees will be ineligible to participate in athletic games/events/contests until all fees are paid or your family is enrolled in a payment plan.
-Student athletes who do not carry, a minimum 2.0 GPA will be enrolled in to a plan to help improve their studies. Each week that S.A. will be required to submit weekly progress reports to their coach that help determine eligibility for that week.
- Student athletes must be passing at least 4 credits to maintain eligibility.
-Student athletes who do not have a current physical on file will not be eligible to practice or play until one is submitted.
Mandatory Parent Meeting:
For those of you who would like to obtain more info about eligibility and other important fall sports related material please read the attached slideshow from last week's parent meeting.
Athletic Department Contact Info: jkeppler@scsmustangs.org
I look forward to meeting and working with everyone! Have a great school year!
SMS Athletic Contact Information
Strongsville Middle School Athletic Information
SHS Athletic Director: Denny Ziegler dziegler@scsmustangs.org
SMS Athletic Director: Jason Keppler jkeppler@scsmustangs.org
SMS Principal: Jessica Boytim: jboytim@scsmustangs.org
HONORS CLASSES SUMMER WORK- REQUIRED
Moves or Transfers
SCS Anonymous Reporting System
8th Grade DC TRIP
Hi 8th Grade Parents!
We are excited to announce that our incoming 8th graders will be going to Washington DC this fall! This email and two attachments contain all the information you need to register your Strongsville Middle School 8th grader.
Some important information:
The parent leaders are Sarah Polo (sarahpolo@live.com) and Haley LaBahn (haleylabahn@yahoo.com)
- We are using Nowak Tours as our travel company
- Trip dates - Saturday, November 5, 2022 - Monday, November 7, 2022
- Payment in full is due Friday, September 9, 2022
- Mandatory Parent Meeting Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00PM at Strongsville High School auditorium.
- Register now at: http://www.nowaktours.com, click traveler login, trip ID: STMSDC2022
The full itinerary and registration information is attached to this email. There are also slides attached with important information for you to review.
If you have any questions, please email Sarah and Haley
Thank you!
Follow SMS on Instagram @ STRONGSVILLEMIDDLESCHOOL or @TheSMSMustangs on Twitter!
Strongsville Middle School
Mrs. Boytim: jboytim@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Peters: jpeters@scsmustangs.org
Mr. Szczepanski: bszczepanski@scsmustangs.org
Counselors:
Mrs. Pietrocini (6): spietrocini@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Staats (7): astaats@scsmustangs.org
Mrs. Gerber (8): kgerber@scsmustangs.org
Website: https://www.strongnet.org/Domain/411
Location: 13200 Pearl Road, Strongsville, OH, USA
Phone: 440-572-7090
Twitter: @mrsboytim