Springton Lake Middle School
Every Student. Every Day. No Matter What.
Springton Lake Middle School
Email: RSalladino@rtmsd.org
Website: https://www.rtmsd.org/2/home
Location: 1900 North Providence Road, Media, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 627-6500
Twitter: @SpringtonLakeMS
February 12, 2021
Closing Out Another Week...
Happy Friday, everyone! To our families celebrating Lunar New Year, Happy New Year!
As we bring to a close another week, our students are off from school today while our teachers participate in professional development. Keep in mind that everyone is off from school on Monday, 2/15, in observance of Presidents Day.
For a second week in a row, the winter weather has presented some challenges for our school - and more weather may be on the way for this weekend and next week! Is it Spring yet??!!??
Thursday was our first Flexible Instructional Delivery (FID) Day of the school year. Hopefully you received my early morning email on Thursday as a follow-up to the standard phone call message that we all received. Just to be sure that everyone knows what to expect moving forward, here is what you need to know about FID...
What does FID stand for?
Flexible Instructional Delivery
What is an FID Day?
This is a modified, at-home learning day for students where the instruction and learning are largely asynchronous. It counts as a day of school.
Why are we using FID Days?
Sadly, we have exhausted the three snow days that were incorporated into our school calendar for this year. By using FID, the day still counts as a day of school and we avoid having to add an extra day to the school year in June.
What is the expectation for an FID Day?
All students will attend a LIVE homeroom session from 9:30 AM to 9:45 AM. Attendance will be taken and announcements for the day will be shown. By 9:00 AM, teachers will post on Schoology a video lesson and short instructional activity for each of their classes. Independently - and at their own pace - students should view the lesson and complete the activity for each class that they would have attended on a normal day of school. Teachers will be available via Zoom for live assistance and support from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM. Students should use the teacher's office hours link to access support.
Is completion of the lessons and activities required?
YES. This is NOT a snow day - it's a day of school. Students who fail to complete the assigned activities will be marked absent from school - even if they were present for homeroom at 9:30 AM.
What if I need assistance?
Administrators will be accessible via email throughout the day. Teachers and office staff will also be accessible via email. Just like with our students, we are working on an FID Day - even if we are doing so remotely.
I hope that this information is helpful and that your child's first FID Day this past week was a success! As always, THANK YOU for taking the time to read this week's newsletter. I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend - stay warm, stay safe, and happy Valentine's Day!
Did You Know...
We hope that you enjoy reading each week's newsletter. Understanding that this is a very unusual year of school, we are using this weekly newsletter to share A LOT of important details, updates, and logistics. If there is one communication that you read carefully each week, we sincerely hope that it is this one. In addition to sending it to you via email each Friday - and also sharing a link on our Twitter account, the weekly newsletter is also posted/archived on our website. If you ever need to go back to look for something that you missed, all of the updates are available to you on our website. Again, thank you for reading!
8th to 9th Grade Transition & Course Selection
The process of transitioning our current 8th grade students to Penncrest High School for next year is now underway! Beginning the week of February 15th, Mrs. Gilroy will be visiting each student's Language Arts class to facilitate the course request process. Students need to come to these sessions ready to enter their course requests - this includes challenge levels for each course and elective choices (+ an alternate). Mrs. Gilroy shared this meeting schedule with students in Schoology. Parents should continue to refer to email communication from Mrs. Gilroy. For more information, please visit the course selection page on the Penncrest website. Additional questions about the course selection process or the Penncrest academic program may be directed to:
Mrs. Gilroy - 8th Grade School Counselor
Mrs. Eaton - 9th Grade School Counselor
Mrs. Sweeney - Penncrest High School Assistant Principal for Academic Affairs
Support Our School with Rx Fundraising
Do you shop at Rite Aid Pharmacy for your prescriptions or other personal needs? If so, your purchases can also benefit our school. Take a moment to register and allow our school to earn funds each time that you visit your local Rite Aid.
Enrichment Resource Available for Students
Looking for some fun enrichment activities to share with your middle school student on a wintry day when it's too cold to be outside? Mrs. Ekstrom, our school's Librarian, has compiled some virtual STEM/Makerspace resources and posted them to the Library's webpage. Check them out and share with your child!
Coming Soon - Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, March 10th and Thursday, March 11th. Within the next few weeks, we will make the sign-up process available for parents who are interested in scheduling an appointment. As we did in the Fall, all conferences will be held virtually via Zoom.
Attendance Expectations - In-Person Cohorts
Students who are enrolled in one of the in-person cohorts are expected to attend in-person on a consistent basis unless there is an approved reason to be at home - i.e. exposure to COVID, quarantine due to travel, etc. Students without an approved reason who do not attend in-person when expected on a consistent basis will be asked to switch to the fully-virtual cohort. The lack of predictability and consistency is very difficult for our students and for our teachers.
If you have an approved reason for your child to work from home on a day that they are expected in-person, PLEASE complete the daily symptom screener so that we have this documented.
If you are concerned for any reason with your child's program - either in-person or fully-virtual and need to discuss a change, please email me directly with your request and I will be back in touch.
Want to Share Something about Your Family's Culture?
Springton Lake Middle School is committed to providing an environment in our school that is inclusive and intentionally designed to foster a sense of belonging by honoring the dignity of each and every person. The Community Outreach subcommittee of our school's Equity Team is asking for your help in our efforts to showcase customs, traditions, celebrations, and cultural information from our diverse community of families.
We are seeking short, student/family-made video vignettes that we will be able to use periodically as part of our video morning announcements. The videos should be short - 2 to 4 minutes in length, highlight something fun or interesting about your family's culture, and be appropriate to show to all students. Ideally, the video should be narrated/presented by the Springton Lake student. Assistance with video editing may be available, if needed. Based upon the response that we receive, we will begin using the videos starting in February. We reserve the right to edit the videos, as needed. Completed videos may be sent to Mrs. Ronni Miller.
We are excited to provide this opportunity for our students and families to share about themselves and for us all to learn from one another. Remember, we are #SpartanStrong because of you!
Have You Ordered Your Yearbook Yet?
June may seem a long way off, but production of this year's yearbook is already underway. Students and parents are invited to share photos of what life looks like for you - what learning looks like at home and how you are spending time together as a family. Here are all of the important details...
Purchase this year's yearbook NOW - the pre-order cost is $30. Go to www.jostens.com and click on Yearbooks ---> Buy Your Yearbook and search for our school. Ordering NOW is the ONLY way to guarantee that your child will receive a copy of this year's book.
To share photos for possible inclusion in the yearbook, click here. The user ID is 415963949. Be sure to include the grade level, names of students depicted, and a description of the photo. Submissions will be accepted through February 21, 2021.
Reminder - Lunch is FREE!
Don't forget that the Rose Tree Media School District has been approved to provide FREE meals - breakfast and lunch - to ALL students!
- ALL students under the age of 18 are eligible for the program.
- Participation in the free meal program helps to sustain the Food Services Department (and staff) in the Rose Tree Media School District.
- Participating in this program does not take away from any other family's ability to also participate.
- The USDA will reimburse the Rose Tree Media School District for the meals provided from monies that were not used last year.
- For more information, please contact Becky Smith in our Food Services Department.
Planning to Travel Outside of PA? Here's What You Need to Know...
On November 25th, the PA Department of Health amended an Order on travel restrictions that they had issued on November 17th. The amended Order requires that travelers over the age of 11 entering Pennsylvania from locations outside the Commonwealth, as well as Pennsylvanians who are returning home from locations outside the Commonwealth, produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or place themselves in travel quarantine for 14 days upon entering, unless they receive a negative test result during the 14-day travel quarantine period.
The amended Order requires that students either quarantine for 14 days upon entering Pennsylvania OR take a COVID-19 test and receive a negative test result. Students can test upon entering PA (the previous Order required a student to get a test 72 hours prior to entering PA). Students must remain home while awaiting test results. A rapid antigen test or a diagnostic PCR test may be used to meet the testing requirement. Upon receipt of a negative test result, the student can begin attending school. Parents who elect to not have their child tested must keep their child out of school for the full 14-day quarantine period which begins the day they returned to PA. Individuals who are returning to the Commonwealth after traveling outside the Commonwealth for less than 24 hours are exempt from this testing/quarantine requirement.
COVID-19 Questions & Assistance
Parents & guardians who have COVID-related questions during the school day should contact our School Nurse, Ms. Hartner by email or phone - 610-627-6512. For COVID-related questions after school hours, you can reach a school district nurse. Contact information is located on the RTMSD website under District Reopening, After Hours-Covid Questions and Answers. There is a nurse available in the mornings before school from 5am to 7am, in the evenings during the week from 4pm to 9pm, on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm and on Sunday evenings from 4pm to 10pm.
Technology Resources
Need to submit a HELP DESK ticket? Let our Technology Team help!
Need assistance with HAC or Schoology? Contact Mrs. Kelly in the Guidance Department.
The Spartan Scoop - Week of February 8th
Check our this week's editions of The Spartan Scoop.
Friday, February 12, 2021 - NO SCHOOL
A "Bright" Start to the Week
The sun was glowing on the building to begin the week - a great way to get rolling on a Monday!
Fun in Physical Education
Staying active is more important than ever! Our teachers are doing a great job of adapting the PE program this year!
Spartan Bucks Prize Table
Students enjoyed spending some of their Spartan Bucks this week!