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
March 19, 2021
Successful Transition - Part I
Happy Friday, everyone!
I hope that you are all doing well and that you had a great week! We definitely had an AWESOME week with our 6th grade students making the transition to four days of in-person instruction. Currently, we have nearly 85% of our 6th grade students attending in-person. Students were happy to see friends and, in some cases, "see" their teachers for the very first time. Our active classrooms and hallways were definitely a welcome sight! We look forward to having our 8th grade students make their transition this coming Monday and our 7th grade students on the Monday after Spring Break.
As I shared with you last week, there are two things that parents can do to help us with the transition...
1. Please be sure to complete the daily symptom screener as early as possible each morning - but no later than 7:30 AM.
2. If you are driving your child to or from school, please be patient and please follow the directions of staff who have been assigned to direct traffic. There will be a sharp and steady increase in cars on the campus. Please allow enough time - especially in the morning when you may be headed to work - so that we can accomplish our arrival and dismissal in a safe and efficient manner.
Spring Break begins at the close of school next Friday. Students will be off from school March 29th through April 2nd. We will re-open on Monday, April 5th.
Thank you for taking a few moments to review the rest of this newsletter. There are many important updates included. I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend - stay safe!
For Your Planning Purposes - PSSA Testing Dates
The Rose Tree Media School District has been informed that the United States Department of Education will not permit states to apply for a waiver from administering standardized tests this year. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has provided school districts with some flexibility about when tests are administered. While more details will be shared in the coming weeks about our plan and process for testing, we wanted to make you aware of the testing dates as soon as possible. Students at Springton Lake will test as follows this Spring:
May 3, 4, & 5 - English Language Arts, all grades
May 10 & 11 - Mathematics, all grades
May 13 - Science, 8th grade only
May 25 & 26 - Algebra I Keystone Examination, only students enrolled in an Algebra I course
Again, ALL other details will be provided to parents and families in the coming weeks.
Spartan Students of the Month - March
Congratulations to our March Spartan Students of the Month. The following students were selected by their teachers for consistently demonstrating our core values of Ready, Respectful,. Responsible, & Resilient. While we traditionally honor students at a monthly breakfast celebration that is attended by family members and teachers, we are unable to continue with that tradition at this time. Instead, our Administrative Team has started visiting students’ classes to personally congratulate them and to provide them with a certificate and token of appreciation.
Samantha Tolotta, Viktoras Ford, Juliette DiMatteo, Leah Ajisafe, Ryan Gauffreau, Daniel Shaak, Noah Hanson, Kristen Murphy, Kira Minnock, Nicholas Asalone, Aditya Murthy, Violet Henretig, Niklas Backstrom, Sophie Tarbell, Gloria Damon, Kailey Atkins, Mary Cullen, & Maverick George.
Important Update - Attendance Procedures
Students who are enrolled for in-person instruction 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 close contact/contract tracing. Students without an approved reason who do not attend in-person when expected will be marked ABSENT - even if they are present on Zoom.
- Please continue to use the daily symptom screener to monitor symptoms and to let us know if your child will be attending in-person each morning.
- If your child is ill, they should not attend school.
- Students who will be absent from school should call the absence hotline (610-627-6500, option 2) and also send a note within 3 days. This step is required in order for us to excuse the absence.
- Students who will be absent for a pre-planned trip should complete and submit the pre-planned absence form.
- When a student is absent from school, they may access work/assignments on Schoology. At this time, we will also still allow students to have access to the class Zoom session if they are well enough to join - even though they have been marked absent.
Spring Intramural Activities
Spring intramural activities will begin on April 12th and run through early June. There will be two sessions - Spring 1 which will be open to 6th grade students only and Spring 2 which will be open to students in all three grade levels. Please contact Mr. Carr if you have any questions about our intramural program.
Intramural Cheerleading will also run this Spring on Mondays and Wednesdays - April 12th to May 20th from 2:20 PM to 4:00 PM. All grade levels may participate. Interested students should send a message to Ms. Millar.
Spring Sports - PIAA Forms Due By 3/26
Registration has now closed for our Spring sports season. We are very excited to once again see out athletes out on our fields. Sports will begin after Spring Break. Students should pay attention to the announcements during the upcoming week for more details. All participants are required to have a sports physical (dated from June 1, 2020 or later) and complete the PIAA form. Since we did not have a traditional season in the Fall or Winter, the vast majority of athletes will need to do this now. If you submitted your PIAA form last Summer or in the Fall - we have it. Athletes cannot participate, including for tryouts, without a physical and completed form. We are requesting that PIAA forms be submitted by Friday, March 26th (day prior to Spring Break) in order to ensure that athletes can participate on April 5th. Any questions about the Spring season may be directed to our Athletic Directors, Ms. Judge or Mr. Booth.
Travel Requirements and COVID-19
The Chester County Health Department is following CDC guidelines for international travel. If you are traveling internationally, it is recommended that you get a COVID test 3-5 days after returning from travel and stay home and quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if the test is negative. If you do not get tested, you should stay home and quarantine for 10 days after travel. Please contact the school nurse to let her know your date of return and if your student will be testing and quarantining for 7 days if the test is negative or if your student will not be getting a test and quarantining for the full 10 days. The nurse will advise you how to fill out the symptom screening survey after your return.
Reminders from our School Nurse - Ms. Hartner
In an effort to continue to keep our students safe and healthy, please keep the following key points in mind:
Please complete the daily SYMPTOM SCREENER for your child as early as possible, but no later than 7:30 AM. This will help to minimize class disruptions for your child.
Students must wear an appropriate face covering to school every day. Neck gaiters and bandanas are not permitted and masks with valves are not considered COVID-safe.
Please keep your student home from school if they are ill. In addition to the criteria contained in the screening tool, please keep your student home for non-COVID related illnesses. Refer to the following resource for more information.
For 6th Grade Students & Families
Please send in documentation of a physical examination, if you have not done so already. Notices were mailed home this week to students who have not sent in the required documentation..
Students are required to have documentation of a dental examination, a Tdap booster and a meningitis vaccination upon entrance to 7th grade. These are usually (but not always) given at the 6th grade physical. A dental examination dated any time after September 1, 2020, is acceptable for the 7th grade dental requirement. Please feel free to fax, email, or send in this information with your child. Parents should also keep a copy for their own records.
Charge Those Chromebooks!
Please help to remind your child to charge their Chromebook on a daily basis before coming to school. Many of our students have become accustomed to working with their devices plugged-in - either at home or in the classroom. With more students now back in the building, and with our efforts to provide them with as much distancing as possible in the classroom, being seated near an outlet is often not possible. Please feel free to borrow the line that I use with the students all of the time - charge your phone, charge your Chrome!
Parent Workshop - March 24th
In conjunction with F.A.R. E. (Family Alliance for Respect & Equity) and our PTG, we are pleased to be able to offer the following workshop for parents:
March 24, 2021, 7:00pm to 8:30pm - Using Media to Disrupt Racism with Middle-Schoolers
The program is being facilitated by Philly's Children's Movement and will be conducted online via Zoom. Please use the link to register for the workshop. The Zoom link will be sent via email to registered participants.
Check Grades in HAC
The end of the 3rd marking period is just ONE WEEK AWAY. The grading period will close on Friday, March 26th. While I have been encouraging students to check HAC and to be on top of their academic progress, I also highly suggest that parents take a few minutes in the coming week to review grades with their student. Students are encouraged to reach out to their teachers for assistance and to take full advantage of the at-home learning schedule on Fridays to catch up on their work.
Please note - Due to Spring Break, 3rd marking period report cards will not be published until Friday, April 9, 2021.
Hot Off The Presses - The Latest Edition of the Springton Lake Splash
Car Line - Drop-off & Pick-up
With an increase in students attending in-person, we have noticed a corresponding increase in traffic on campus. In order to keep traffic flowing in an efficient manner, please help us by doing the following:
1. Follow the direction of staff who are stationed outside.
2. Pull as far down as possible along the sidewalk.
3. Your child should be ready to exit the car in the morning when you arrive to the front of the building. Students should do so quickly and wherever the car stops along the front sidewalk.
4. Students should exit curbside ONLY.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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.
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.
- UPDATE ON VIRTUAL MEAL DISTRIBUTION - Distribution of meals for fully-virtual students is being modified. Meal distribution at Media Elementary School is being combined with meal distribution at Penncrest High School. Meals will no longer be distributed at Media Elementary School on Wednesday afternoons. Instead, distribution will now be at Penncrest High School on Wednesdays between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM at the flagpole entrance.
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.
Weekly Newsletters - Archived Here!
Did you miss a previous week's newsletter? Need to go back to for reference or to access previous information? All of the previous updates are available to you on our website.
The Spartan Scoop - Week of March 15th
Check our this week's editions of The Spartan Scoop.