#sparkinfo. Monthly News Nov. 2019
We Have Much To Be Thankful For
We are so thankful for the many great things happening at Pickens Middle!
October was a very busy month for students and teachers, but it was highlighted by so many great accomplishments at Pickens Middle School!
We began our month with our open house. Thank you to all of the families that came out that night as we discussed digital responsibility, an OLWEUS presentation(Our anti-bullying program), and visited classrooms. Thank you for your partnership! Our students will be so much more successful when we work together!
Accolades in October included:
1) An undefeated volleyball championship! The A team won their hundredth match in a row and are the regular season and tournament champions of their division! The B team did not lose a single match to another B team and played very well against a number of A teams as well!
2) The high school marching band were the state runners up and included a number of middle school participants!
3) Our robotics teams did excellently in their first major competition of the season. They finished 1st, 2nd, and tied for seventh out of 31 middle and high school teams! One team was crowned tournament champions and won the award of excellence! Two teams qualified for the state championship!
4) Mrs. Spivey's, Mrs. Whittemore's, and Mrs. Mellett's homerooms are intramural dodgeball champs!
5) The Pickens High Girls Golf Team made a run at the state and finished eighth in Hilton Head. Natalie Turner from #sparknation! was on the team!
6) Many students qualified for our end of the nine weeks #sparkcelebration because of their grades and behavior!!
7) Naomi Lett, President and CEO of the SC United Way visited and spoke at our Anti-Bullying Rally!
8) Our student body raised money for the Pickens Humane Society. We will publish the final contributions on social media soon.
9) We appreciate the parents who participated in our Digital Parenting Night!
10) Several students have joined DECA, a high school professional business organization and are even competing!
11) A number of other inaugural organizations were started including: All-Pro Dad, American Sign Language Club and the Drama Club.
These accolades do not include many of the great things our students do on campus every day! If your student is not yet involved in an extracurricular activity, we would encourage them to check out one of the following opportunities currently meeting:
Science Club, DECA, Chess Club, Singing Embers, Robotics, Card Game Club, Student Council, Beta Club, Momentum Bike Club, American Sign Language Club, Drama Club, Y.A.M.S., Flag Corps, and Sports Teams at the Middle and High School. Several others will be underway soon or in the spring!
They Won Gowan's Gold
Our very own marching band rockstars!
Robotics Tournament Champions!
Our students at their first DECA competition!
Natalie Turner represented SparkNation well in Hilton Head!
There's a lot of learning going on!
What's New At Pickens Middle?
Basketball Starts Soon!
#sparkcelebrations
SPARK Celebrations (SPARKS Finest!)
#sparkcelebrations
SPARK Celebrations
On November 4th, we will recognize our first recipients of SPARKS finest! If your child qualified for the honor, you should have received a letter on Tuesday. If your child did not qualify for the first nine weeks, we will recognize a new group each nine weeks! Please encourage them to seek this honor!
SPARK Celebrations concentrate on four components of student life: Academics , Respect, Knowledge, and Service.SPARK Celebrations will concentrate on four components of student life:
Academics (Maintain a C average to be eligible for #sparkcelebrations. Maintain an A or B average for SPARKS finest.)
Attendance (No Unexcused Absences for the nine weeks.)
Community/Service (Students need five hours of service per nine weeks. This may be logged online with a teacher or using a SPARKS service sheet to be SPARKS Finest)
Discipline (No Discipline Referrals and a maximum of two detentions.)
Students will have the ability to be involved in various celebrations, rewards, and activities based on their accomplishments in the four areas of student life. Each element will be recognized every nine weeks with the hope of students excelling in all areas and becoming a SPARKS Finest: Students Promoting Attendance, Respect, Knowledge, and Service.
The Miss Torch Pageant is just around the corner!
Behavioral Health Services- Do You Know What This Is?
Community Night- December 9th!
PTO!
We need you in our PTO this year! We would love to have you join! Involvement may be simple monetary support through a membership all the way to directly serving in the school! Stay tuned for more information! If you would like to join, you can download and print the membership form by clicking on the PTO photo.
What's Happening in November?
Fr., Nov. 1st-
Science Club Meeting
Sun.,Nov. 3rd-
Daylight Savings Ends (Fall back 1 hr.)
Mon., Nov. 4th-
SPARKS Finest Ceremony (PM Act.)
Beta Club Induction (5:30) in Cafe
Girls Basketball Tryouts Begin 3:30-5:00
Tues., Nov. 5th-
Early Release Day (Students Dismissed at 12:15)
Wed., Nov. 6th-
Make-Up Picture Day
Robotics Team Meeting Afterschool
Fr., Nov. 8th-
Manufacturing and Engineering Cohorts (8th Grade) to Career Center
Mon., Nov. 11th-
Veteran’s Day (PHS)
Bus Evacuation Drills
Boys Basketball Tryouts Begin 5-6:30
Tues., Nov. 12th-
Spark Celebration- Student vs. Faculty Volleyball Game
(#sparkfun schedule)
Wed., Nov. 13th-
Robotics Team Meeting Afterschool
Th., Nov. 14th-
Career Center Registration visit for the 2020/21 school year 8th Grade
Tues., Nov. 19th-
2nd Nine Weeks Progress Reports
Wed., Nov. 20th-
Robotics Team Meeting Afterschool
AOP Showcase - Anderson -8th grade
Th., Nov. 21st-
Pageant Practice
Fr., Nov. 22nd-
Miss Torch Pageant (PHS)
Nov. 28th-Nov. 30th-
Thanksgiving Break!!!
Pick-Up and Drop-Off
Please remember that in the morning, the lane which comes straight to the school will close at seven. All vehicles should approach the school through the car loop. Please pull forward and fill in all available space to ensure that we can unload as many students as we can and keep the line as short as possible. This is a single lane in the morning. Students should be dropped off in plenty of time to ensure they are in the gym for assembly by 7:55.
P.M. Pick-UP
For the safety of our students in our carline, Pickens Middle will not allow signing out of students after 2:30 PM. Please pick up your student prior to that time for any appointments or events which require early pick up. The barrier to the straight left lane will close at 2:30 and we do not want cars coming around the barrier into oncoming traffic. All vehicles must use the car loop after that time. Parents/guardians who arrive before 2:30 for afternoon pickup may wait in the car loop at the final stop sign at the top of the hill until dismissal. Please see the video below for car pickup instructions. Please be courteous and merge every other car if it is a need before the merger arrives. Thank you!
*Students with parent/guardian permission must have a walker's pass to leave campus on foot. Students will not be permitted to walk in severe weather.
If you have any questions about this procedure, please let us know.
This year's regular bell schedule has some minor changes.
Students report to assembly- 7:53 (All students should be seated by 8:00 at the latest.)
Morning Assembly Drawings, Icebreakers, and announcements- 8:00-8:03
Morning Assembly8:03-8:13Day officially begins
1st period- 8:20-9:15
2nd period- 9:19-10:14
3rd period- 10:18-11:13
4th period– Lunch & Extension Classes11:17 -- 12:19
8th grade lunch11:17-11:47
8th grade will be in instructional time from 11:47-12:19
7th grade lunch11:33-12:03
7th grade will be in instructional time from 11:17-11:33 and 12:03- 12:19
6th grade lunch11:49-12:19
6th grade will be in instructional time from 11:17- 11:49
5th period12:23-1:18
6th period1:22-2:17
7th period2:21-3:15
Afternoon Announcements (Beginning) 6th grade dismissed at 3:13
55 minute classes
30 minute lunches
4 minutes between classes
From Sparks of Knowledge Grow Flames of Success
Email: jamesking@pickens.k12.sc.us
Website: http://pms.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 140 Torch Lane, Pickens, SC, 29671
Phone: (864) 397-4100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pickensms/?scrlybrkr=85865011
Twitter: @pmssparks