In the Middle
Scituate Middle School Weekly Update - 09.25.23
Does your child have a lock on their locker?
Flu Clinic for Students & Staff
There will be a FREE flu vaccine clinic at Scituate Middle and High School on 10/11/2023 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am for students and staff. This clinic is not open to the public.
Here’s some important information about the FREE flu vaccine clinic:
- Register online at schoolflu.com to schedule an appointment.
- Enter Login ID to register: scituate
- Online registration is required to ensure the availability of the vaccine.
- Insurance information will be collected, but the vaccine is FREE whether you have insurance or not.
The flu is a serious, highly contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Catching the flu means missing days of work and school. You might even have to spend time in the hospital. Don’t take the risk — the flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.
For more information, visit health.ri.gov/flu/, or call the Department of Health’s information line at 401-222-5960.
SMS Yearbook
I'd like to introduce myself to those of you that did not meet me during my first year teaching at the middle school last year. I'd like to announce that I'll be managing the yearbook this year as well as teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade art classes. In order to compile a nice bank of pictures for this year's yearbook, I'd like to ask for parent, student, and faculty help taking pictures of sporting events, school activities, and anything else SMS-related.
Please save the email address sms_yearbook@scituateschoolsri.net and attach any pictures you take throughout the year. Don't forget to include the name of the event, the date of the event and names of people pictured if possible. We will store all photos sent to the yearbook email and select from the bank of compiled pictures as we assemble the layouts.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Thank you in advance for all of your help!
~Ms. Julie Trikoulis
Athletics Update
Below you will find the contact information for our Fall Sports at Scituate Middle School. Please direct any sports inquiries to the appropriate coach. Coaches will be able to answer questions that the main office staff may not have the answers to.
Girls Soccer - Coach Eric Stinette eric.stin@gmail.com
Boys Soccer - Coach Miles Henderson henderson.miles@gmail.com
Cross Country - Coach Jennifer Borin jenniferborin@gmail.com
Athletic Director - Sal Gelsomino sal.gelsomino@scituateschoolsri.net
Cross Country
Cross Country Schedule 9/25-9/29
Monday - Manning pickup 3:45pm
Tuesday - Meet at Captain Stephen Memorial Park (more info to follow)
Wednesday - Manning pickup 3:45pm
Thursday - Manning pickup 4pm
Friday - Manning pickup 4pm
The girls and boys cross country teams ran away with several awards at the Ocean State Invitational on Friday. Almost all of the RI middle schools were in attendance, plus middle schools from Massachusetts and Connecticut. With an average of over 150 runners in each race, the Spartans were ready to compete!
For the girls, Joiee Downs was our first runner to medal with a 20 place finish in the 7th grade race. Ava Dunn received a medal for her 30th place finish in the 6th grade race and Sophia Morgan received a 6th place medal in the 8th grade race.
For the boys 8th grade race, in a field of 196 runners, Oliver Redmond made it to the podium with a 5th place finish. Andrew Bettez received a medal for 14th place and Andres Ditson received a medal for 24th place.
To top off the day, the 8th grade boys placed 2nd overall and received the highest team trophy that Scituate ever won!! Helping to secure the trophy were Jackson Downs, Alex Chiappone, Lucas Borin, Tampa Ortiz and Joey Jacavone.
Weekly Spotlight
Grade 8
Life Skills Class
Agriculture Club Update
Ms. Travers is excited to announce that Agriculture Club will begin the first week of October.
Free / Reduced Lunch Information
The Scituate School Department has partnered with Unite Us to streamline the process of applying for free and/or reduced lunches. Please click the link which will take you to the meal benefit application on the State of Rhode Island Department of Education website.
https://ride.ri.gov/child-nutrition/unite-us-electronic-school-meal-benefit-application
Please fill in all fields. Be sure to select Scituate Public Schools in the field “Select the school district that your child will receive school meals from”.
If you have any questions, please call: Jennifer Carnevale, Executive Finance Assistant at 401-647-4100 option 2, then option 3"
Spartan Shout-Outs
New this Year... WIN Block
The WIN (What I Need) block is an opportunity for students to receive academic support in math and/or reading. Students were selected for WIN based on Star math and reading screening assessment results. Students with scores below the benchmark for their grade level will work on reading and/or math skills twice per week, and their progress will be monitored throughout the quarter. Student progress and data will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.
Bus Information
All students, parents/guardians should be able to view their bus info in PowerSchool. Should you have any questions, please reach out to First Student by emailing Wendy.Lacombe@firstgroup.com
Locker Information
Students will be assigned a locker by their team of teachers. Students are required to provide their own locks. Each student is to only use the locker to which they are assigned. Sharing lockers with other students is not permitted. Lockers are provided for the storage of books, backpacks and coats during the school day. Lockers should be locked at all times. The lockers are school property and may be opened by the administration/Dean for emergencies or when there exists reasonable suspicion for a search of the contents, consistent with school committee policy. Students are responsible for the condition of the locker assigned to them and the cleanliness of the contents. The cost of repair or repainting locker damage caused by writing on painted surfaces, affixing non-removable stickers, or bending metal parts will be charged to the student. Students are financially responsible for any articles or books lost or stolen from their lockers.
News From North West Special Education (NWSE)
Hello! Below are the meeting dates for the Northwest Special Education Local Advisory Committee for the 23/24SY. All are welcome to attend!
September 26, 2023 at 6:00pm at Ponaganset Middle School, Room 150
November 14, 2023 at 6:00pm at Ponaganset Middle School, Room 150
February 13, 2024 at 6:00pm at Ponaganset Middle School, Room 150
April 30, 2024 at 6:00pm at Ponaganset Middle School, Room 150
Parking is available in the rear parking lot behind the building; entry at the rear entrance of the building.
Student Support Services
Lunch Drop-Ins Begin Sept. 28th
The student support team would like to once again run drop-in lunches for the middle school this upcoming fall. This event will be running during all lunch waves on Thursdays in the library conference room (facilitated by our Mental Health Interns) The goal is to provide a safe alternative lunch space where middle school students can have quiet conversations and recharge.
Small group interventions have long been used by school counselors and teachers to help build soft-skills capacity for struggling students. Lunch groups are another way to help foster these positive interactions so that students gain skills and form bonds during school hours or times of stress and anxiety.
This program will aim to help students feel seen, build positive coping skills, and form trusting relationships.
Scituate Rotary Club Donates Backpacks
Thanks to a wonderful donation from the Scituate Rotary Club, we have school supplies available to be distributed to our students in the Middle and High School!
Supplies include: Backpacks, Stationary and Art Supplies, Gift Cards (limited amount)
Please fill out the Backpack Request Form below if you are interested/ in need of school supplies for your child/ student(s)!
All requests are confidential and will be handled by our School Social Worker, Jennifer Ricci, LCSW.
Student Assistance Counselor Available at SMS
Scituate Middle School, along with 79 other Rhode Island secondary schools, is implementing a Student Assistance Program based on a national model called Project SUCCESS. The program is provided by Rhode Island Student Assistance Services (RISAS) and is funded by the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Health and the school department.
The goals of Project SUCCESS are to prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and to improve school performance. To accomplish these goals, the program provides school-wide awareness programs, classroom presentations and individual and small group sessions to teach about substance use and skills to resist pressures to use substances. Parent meetings and workshops will also be available to assist you in prevention efforts.
Abbigayle Coria, our Student Assistance Counselor, will be responsible for implementing and coordinating the Project SUCCESS prevention and education activities at Scituate Middle School. She works full-time and has some evening hours available to see parents and make presentations to community groups. Ms. Coria has a Master’s Degree in Counseling, previous experience working with adolescents at Scituate High School and specialized training in prevention and early intervention strategies. The Student Assistance Counselor is an employee of RISAS and is supervised by RISAS and the school.
Ms. Coria is available to see students who are using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, or have personal, school or family problems that could lead to substance use or other unhealthy behaviors. If you are worried about your child’s behavior and would like to speak to the Student Assistance Counselor and/or have the Student Assistance Counselor, see your child, please call them directly at the school. All calls will be confidential.
This program has helped many students make responsible choices, has educated students about the dangers of drug use, and has helped others get outside help for related problems. In order to e valuate the effectiveness of the Student Assistance Program/Project SUCCESS and to make continuing improvements, the state requires us to collect data from students who participate during the school year. No names are on any collected data.
If, for any reason, you do not want your son or daughter to be seen by the Student Assistance Counselor, please contact me or contact the Student Assistance Counselor abbigayle.coria@scituateschoolsri.net directly. We are very pleased to offer this valuable program to the students in our school.
Also, please feel free to call if you have any questions about the program.
Sincerely,
Dana S. Morel
Important Dates Ahead
10/6 - Right to Read PD Day (No School Students)
10/9 - Indigenous People’s Day (No School, State Holiday)
11/13– Veterans’ Day-Observed (No School)
11/22-11/ 24 – Thanksgiving Recess (No School)