BACK to SCHOOL 2020!
Gettys Middle School - Easley, SC
Let's "Make Gettys Great" and Healthy in 2020-21!
Welcome to Gettys Middle School!
This information is provided digitally in lieu of our traditional Meet the Teacher event. School begins on Monday, August 24 and students should arrive for required homeroom student self-screening (health questions) by 8:15 am. Our school opens at 7:45 am daily. As students arrive between 7:45 am and 8:15 they will report to their homeroom. During this extended homeroom they will have a chance to eat their breakfast, complete their daily health screening questions and have some time for silent sustained reading. The students' academic day begins at 8:30 am.
The school will be open for car line drop-off at 7:45 am. Car line students will not be accepted before 7:45 am due to physical distancing requirements and contact tracing. The first two weeks will be a time for all students and parents to learn our procedures. Please allow more time for transportation during the first two weeks while students, families and buses learn their new routines.
Gettys Middle is a 1:1 device school and all textbooks will be digital this year. Families should be sure to pay their technology fee of $20 for device insurance by August 24. You must pay online at MySchoolBucks by August 24. Parents must complete two items prior to their child receiving a device: the Registration Gateway as well as paying the required $20 device insurance fee.
MySchoolBucks Online Payments
New for 2020-21!
Student wellness will allow us to continue face-to-face instruction and all the benefits of being together. We need all students and their families to keep "Gettys Great" and healthy!
- Masks will be required: On July 31, the State Department of Education announced that any student, staff or visitor to public schools will be required to wear a mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19. All students and faculty will be required to wear masks when they are unable to maintain more than 6 feet of distance between people. Masks should not display images or phrases that are disruptive or in violation of our school dress code.
- Students are scheduled in cohorts: To reduce the number of students one is exposed to by nearly 67%, students are scheduled mostly with the same students for their academic classes of English, Math, Science and Social Studies. For these classes, the students will stay in the same room and our teachers will rotate into the rooms for enhanced safety. Many academic classrooms can have desks 6 ft apart. Homeroom, breakfast, lunch and academic classes will be in the same room with the same 20-25 students.
- Meals will be in the classroom: Lunch will be brought to their cohort classroom for contact tracing so the school can have the ability to know all contacts a student would possibly have during a school day. Breakfast will be grab and go from the cafeteria. Classrooms and school buses will have assigned seating.
- Dismissal will require different procedures for student wellness: Buses are limited to 67% capacity per state regulation for social distancing. Bus riders will be dismissed in a window of time from 2:30-3:15 pm and will remain in their last academic classroom for their bus number to be called before reporting to the bus loop. Car riders/walkers will be dismissed in a staggered manner by grade level as a mitigation strategy. 8th grade car riders/walkers will be dismissed at 2:30, 7th grade car riders/walkers at 2:50 and 6th grade car riders/walkers at 3:10 pm. Families with multiple grade level children should report at the lowest grade level's time. Car rider families should only report to the student pick-up area at your assigned time. If a car arrives early, you should report to our lower football parking lot which is our Cell Phone Lot. You are to park in the Cell Phone Lot and await your child's grade level time without blocking other families from picking up their children.
- Social distancing of 6 feet: We will have increased time at exploratory class change so we can maintain social distancing and will use walking lanes designated in hallways.
- No lockers: Lockers will not be used in Physical Education class or for student grade level lockers so we can maintain social distancing. We will utilize digital textbooks accessed on students' devices. Drawstring bags or a book bag will be allowed for a student to keep on them during the day. Students can bring their items to their cohort classroom.
Update Family Information To Receive School Information
The majority of our families have completed the summer online registration and family update. All parents/guardians are asked to update information online prior to registration through the Back-to-School Gateway. However, some families still need to complete this before school starts.
Access the Gateway at https://update.pickens.k12.sc.us and use the information provided on your student's final report card to log in. This information was also emailed out by SDPC In July. The username is your child’s student ID number which is listed on every report card or progress report. The password for this process will be your student's date of birth in the following format: mm/dd/yyyy (include slash symbol between month/date/year). If you have any questions, please call the GMS main office at (864) 397-3900.
7th Grade Tdap Requirement
Don’t forget that your 7th grader must have the Tdap shot before they register for classes. This is a booster vaccination required by law for 7th grade students and is a protection against the whooping cough. This required documentation to be eligible to start school should be dropped off in our main office for our nurses.
Car Line Pick-Up View
GETTYS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
- August 19: Wednesday all student schedules including SDPC Virtual Academy students are available online in each student's Schoology account
- August 20: Volleyball Parent Meeting via Webex 6 pm and Cheer Parents WebEx at 7 pm
- August 20-21: SDPC Virtual Academy students receive a welcome contact by their SDPC Virtual Academy teachers
- August 21: Any family needing assistance from our cafeteria staff for online free/reduced lunch application or to place money deposit into lunch account can drop in to the cafe from car line area between noon to 2 pm Friday.
- August 24: Opening day for students and they should arrive to homeroom by 8:15 am to complete the health screening and their school lunch orders daily. Homeroom is open from 7:45 am to 8:30 am. First academic class begins at 8:30 am.
- August 24: Students will receive their technology devices in homeroom if families have paid their technology insurance fee of $20 at MySchoolBucks
- August 24-September 4: Face-to-Face instruction for GMS students (Weeks 1 and 2)
- August 25: GMS Volleyball and Cheer Tryouts begin; must have a current physical
- August 25-26: 8th grade Volleyball Tryouts from 3:30-5:30 pm in GMS Gym
- August 27-28: 7th grade Volleyball Tryouts from 3:30-5:30 pm in GMS Gym
- August 25-28: Cheer Tryouts at 6 pm in the GMS Gym
- September 7: No School: Labor Day Holiday
- September 8: Football tryouts begin with Helmets and Pads
- September 8-Sept. 18: GMS students have remote learning from home (Weeks 3 and 4)
- Sept. 21- Oct 2: GMS students have face-to-face instruction at GMS (Weeks 5 and 6)
A Tradition of Excellence in Easley Since 1962
Gettys Middle School
Website: http://gms.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 510 South Pendleton Street, Easley, SC, United States
Phone: 864-397-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gettysmiddleschool
Twitter: @Gettys_Middle