Switzerland Point Middle School
Raider Rap -January 26, 2022
From Ms. Carnall
Good Afternoon,
We had a successful Literacy Week 2022! The PTO Book Drive brought in 1374 gently used books that will be donated to our sister school, South Woods Elementary. The winners of the hot cocoa and cookie party are as follows:
- 1st Place: Ms. Gracy (319 books)
- 2nd Place: Ms. Boyer (140 books)
- 3rd Place: Ms. Cox (122 books)
Congratulations to those homerooms! While the Homeroom contest is over it is not too late to donate books. The donated books will be transported at the end of next week to South Woods Elementary.
We have a lot of information below regarding upcoming events including Rising 9th grade night, Gradventure, Play auditions and more!
Sincerely,
Ms. Carnall
A Note From the Nurse
As we are seeing an increase in the number of Covid 19 cases since returning from winter break, I would just like to remind you of a few things.
- Please DO NOT send your student to school with a pending Covid test ,even if the student is asymptomatic. This includes, home tests, rapid tests and the PCR tests.
- If you choose to test your child to return to school early, it must be NEGATIVE LAB test, the results must be sent to the school nurse before he/she can return to school. I will need to remove them from quarantine. Results can be emailed to Kelly.brown@stjohns.k12.fl.us or drop off the paper copy to the clinic. NO HOME TESTS are accepted for testing out early.
- Student may return to school early with a note from their physician’s office with the date that they are able to return.
- Please call the clinic for any questions (904)547-8628
Kelly M Brown, LPN
Switzerland Point Middle School Clinic
904-547-8628
8th Grade GradVenture News!
8th grade students received GradVenture fieldtrip forms in homeroom this week. A copy is also on the 8th grade Schoology page.
Play Auditions
Law & Order: Fairy Tale Unit
Comedy
In the fairy tale criminal justice system, the characters from fairy tales and nursery rhymes are represented by two separate yet equally ridiculous groups: the fairy tale police who investigate fairy tale crime, and the fairy tale district attorneys who prosecute the fairy tale offenders. These are their stories.
Auditions will be held on February 3 & 4 after school. And will consist of cold readings from the play.
Call Backs will be the 4th if necessary.
Cast list will be posted on Tuesday, February 8th.
Rehearsals will begin on Thursday, February 10th with the full cast called both Thursday and Friday.
Full cast rehearsals will be called; in other words, students participating will not be at every rehearsal. I will do my best to have a schedule of rehearsals posted to the cast AND crew via Schoology every Wednesday morning. I will need a Stage Manager and two assistant Stage Managers – and of these three, one must always be at rehearsal.
We will rehearse, the days we have school, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until the month of April. At that time, we will rehearse every day we have school. We will NOT have rehearsals during spring break or Easter Break.
Thank you for your support and understanding as I navigate my way through this first production here at SPMS.
Ms. Baker
END OF YEAR REWARD TRIPS
- Any level 3 or level 4 discipline referral
- Any level 1 or level 2 referral that results in ISS
- Any referral that results in OSS
- More than 4 demerits
During the 1st semester we provided the students opportunities for growth and learning by allowing the demerits to restart at the beginning of 2nd quarter, wiping away any demerits previously earned. For 2nd semester all demerits earned will be cumulative for BOTH quarter 3 and quarter 4. Once the reward trip is paid for, we will be unable to give refunds or transfer the reservation to another student’s name.
Please review these expectations with your student if you think that the trip is something they might be interested in working towards.
Resource for Parents
Marine Science Summer Camp
SUMMER MARINE SCIENCE PROGRAM
DO NOT MISS OUT ONLY 2 SESSIONS
Parents/Guardians,
Application directions for the summer Marine Science Program will be passed out by science teachers at all schools during the second week of February. Parents/guardians must complete part 1 of the application at our website. Application student essays, part 2, will be due back to science teachers by March 4th. Student essay forms can also be downloaded at any time from the website. Please visit us at http://www-grms.stjohns.k12.fl.us/ and click on the Marine Science link. The link also will have a complete day by day curriculum for each grade level, parent information, and a video from last year’s program.
This summer program is available to all students currently in grades five through seven and has been sponsored by the school district since 1982. Hurry do not miss out, only two eight-day sessions are held at Gamble Rogers Middle School with bus transportation provided. The dates for the sessions this summer will be June 6th through June 16th and June 20th through June 30th (Monday-Thursday). Small classes of 12-15 students are separated by grade level. All instructors in the program are St. Johns County School District teachers.
The Marine Science Program is a carefully designed experience for responsible students who are interested in learning about our local marine environments. Learning is “hands on” in the field with students kayaking, canoeing, boating, hiking, snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing, surfing, SUP, (stand up paddleboarding), etc.
More information about the program can be had by emailing Kristina Bransford at marinescienceprogram@stjohns.k12.fl.us .
Author Visit
Middle grade author Jake Burt will be doing a virtual author visit with the SPMS library on Friday, March 25th, 2022!
About the Author:
Jake Burt loves writing so much, that when he’s not doing it, he’s teaching it! Jake is a 5th grade teacher living in Connecticut.
Some of Jake’s most notable works include Cleo Porter and the Body Electric, which is on this year’s Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award List. His debut novel, Greetings From Witness Protection, was also on the SSYRA list for 2019 – 2020 and was chosen as the top book the year! His most recent novel, The Ghoul of Windydown Vale, comes out on January 25th, 2022.
Signed and personalized copies of Jake's books are available for purchase and can be ordered from: https://www.rjjulia.com/introducing-jake-burt
Please order by January 25th for your books to be shipped by February 1st.
Please order by February 16th for your books to be shipped by March 1st.
Final day to order is April 1st, 2022.
Any student wanting to attend the event should see Ms. Gowin in the media center for more information.
Please email madison.gowin@stjohns.k12.fl.us with any questions.
ATTENTION EIGHTH GRADERS!
WE NEED YOUR BABY PICTURES!
SUBMIT BY Feb. 15!
To submit your baby picture to the yearbook staff:
- Visit www.hjeshare.com and enter school code 359.
- Enter your contact info and click the green “Select Image for Upload” button.
- Browse for your image and enter additional information. Put “Baby Picture” in the description box.
- Click “Upload Image” and you’re done!
Please submit only one image!
For 8th grade ads, purchase those on the order website. www.yearbookordercenter.com code 359
NJHS
The Disney field trip is coming up for our National Junior Honor Society students. Space is limited and is first come, first served. Eighth grade students are invited to attend Magic Kingdom on February 11th. Seventh and eighth grade students are invited to attend Hollywood Studios on March 4th. Permission forms are located in the Media Center. Please see the NJHS schoology page for more information!
Character Counts! 6K/3K Run/Walk
The CHARACTER COUNTS! Steering Committee is calling all walkers, runners and fitness enthusiasts to participate in the CHARACTER COUNTS! 6K/3K Run/Walk on Saturday, February 5, 2022, at 9 a.m. The run/walk will begin and end at Palencia Elementary School located at 355 Palencia Village Drive, St. Augustine.
Walkers and runners will enjoy a course running through the neighborhoods of Kensington and Las Calinas and can choose to participate in the 6K (3.73 miles) or 3K (1.86 miles) distance.
Registration fees are as follows:
6K: $30 before January 1 $35 January 1-January 31 $40 on race day
3K: $25 before January 1 $30 January 1-January 31 $35 on race day
Registration forms and more information are available online at https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/StAugustine/CHARACTERCOUNTSinStJohnsCountySixPillars6K3KRunWalk
Race proceeds support CHARACTER COUNTS! initiatives throughout the St. Johns County School District (SJCSD). The run/walk is open to all ages, and the top three winners will be awarded in each of the age categories as well as the overall male and female finishers. A cash donation will be awarded to the top three schools with the most registrants. In 2020, these schools were Palm Valley Academy, Valley Ridge Academy and Ocean Palms Elementary School. All race registrants will receive a t-shirt and other goodies from area businesses and organizations. At the finish line, each race participant will receive a commemorative item.
This event is produced by the CHARACTER COUNTS! Steering Committee and is presented by Beaver Toyota with support from businesses and community groups. Action News Jax CBS47/FOX30 is the official media sponsor of this run/walk.
The SJCSD, along with area businesses, youth organizations and civic groups, selected the national character education program of CHARACTER COUNTS! as a countywide initiative to instill positive character traits in young people throughout the county. Additionally, the SJCSD became the first school district in Florida to implement Pursuing Victory With Honor in all of its athletic programs. Character education is an important part of every School Improvement Plan and a major component of the Student Code of Conduct and the school district’s Strategic Plan.
Character Counts! Pillar of the month-RESPECT
In February, we are celebrating the Character Counts pillar of Caring. We look for students who:
•Are kind
•Are Compassionate
•Express gratitude
•Forgive others
•Help people in need
•Are charitable and altruistic
YEARBOOK
Want to buy an SPMS yearbook? Order online at Yearbookordercenter.com and enter our school code 359.
COVID Information
You should continue to use the Student Health Screening Entry form and monitor your student for symptoms. The answers to all symptoms/questions should be no for your student to attend school. Please see the attached documents for assistance.
The COVID info web page for SJCSD families is now live at
https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/covid-19/ Here you will find the most up to date COVID information. This site includes the COVID Dashboard, Quarantine Help Guides, directions to access online textbooks and Schoology, and Health & Safety resources.
As you know, masks are optional for all adults and students. We will continue to respect each other’s choices and personal space. We will continue with many of our protocols from last year to reduce congestion in the hallways and cafeteria. Hand sanitizer will be available in the offices, hallways and classrooms for student access. We will continue with our cleaning and disinfecting protocols from last year as directed by the SJCSD.
On 9/22/2021, the Department of Health has updated their emergency rule (64DER21-15) to include student quarantines.
- Student quarantines: (3)(a) Parents or legal guardians of students who are known to have been in direct contact with an individual who received a positive diagnostic test for COVID-19 may choose one of the following options:
- Allow the student to attend school, school-sponsored activities, or be on school property, without restrictions or disparate treatment, so long as the student remains asymptomatic; or
- Quarantine the student for a period of time not to exceed seven days from the date of last direct contact with an individual that is positive for COVID-19.
Based on this new ruling, you have a choice whether to quarantine your child or not, if they have no symptoms. You will receive email communication if your student was a close contact providing your choices.
To be clear, if your child has NO symptoms and is on quarantine, they may return to school if you choose. This begins today. If you choose to quarantine, you need to contact the District COVID support team and report that you are opting to quarantine your child. This also begins today.
Due to this change in policy, it is more important than ever to monitor your child for symptoms and keep them home if they are not well. We want students to be in school learning and we also want children healthy and safe. We are in this together and will continue to work together to navigate this new normal.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions, please call 904-547-8230 for further clarification.
If your child is quarantined they should be checking Schoology daily. They should go to each teacher's updates tab for the daily/weekly assignments. All work to be completed will be available on Schoology and should be uploaded on the due date. If a student needs help or has questions they can message their teacher. Students can also access their online textbooks from home as well.
SSYRA Information
The Sunshine State Young Readers Award Program is in full swing here at Swiss! Students are enjoying earning brag tags and a variety of prizes after reading them and taking a short quiz. SSYRA books can be checked out in the library, or online as audio or e books. Please see this year’s list attached.
PE Uniform Update
- All sizes/PE uniform items are back in stock for purchase.
- PE uniforms can be purchased here.
- If you purchase a uniform from this point on, please note the following:
- Uniforms will ONLY be issued on Wednesdays at the beginning of PE class.
- Students must present their receipt for their PE uniform purchase (printed receipt or an emailed copy/screen shot on their phone)
Special Message on the Marquee
SPMS National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring an opportunity to send a special birthday or congratulations message to your student via the marquee in the front of school. Cost is $25. Complete the form here to submit your request (there's a separate link in the form to pay via Schoolpay upon submitting your request). Requests are due the Friday prior to the event and will display the following week (Tuesday through Monday). Example: if you turn in the request on Friday, September 17 then your message will be displayed on Tuesday, September 21.
SPMS PTSO UPDATES
http://www.swisspointptso.com/
PSTO Meetings:
Monday, Feb. 14, 10 AM Swiss Point Media Center
COMING SOON: Stock the Teacher’s Lounge
Information coming soon.
Raider Stores:
Volunteers are needed to help the Raider Store. Get to know our SPMS students and staff in this fun setting. The upcoming store dates are Jan. 28th, Feb. 11th, 25th. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b44a4a72da5f49-raider7
Chip in for Youth:
Want to support SPMS and cheer on your favorite golfers at The Players Championship in March? Purchase your tickets through www.theplayerschipinforcharity.com with the promo code SPMS and Swiss Point will receive $40 for every ticket purchased. See flyer for more info.
SUPPORT SPMS AS BUSINESS PARTNER
Do you own a business or work for a business with an interest in supporting education? Our Partners in Education Program is a great opportunity to support SPMS and spread the word about your company to the local community. Sponsorships help the PTSO fund many school initiatives.
For more information, please contact Carly McCollum at cm0929@gmail.com or check out our information online on the PTSO website.
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PTSO
AmazonSmile - Shop through the PTSO link on AmazonSmile! https://smile.amazon.com/ch/59-3741022
While you do your regular shopping on Amazon thru AmazonSmile, .5% of your purchase will be donated to SPMS.
SPMS has earned $ 92.15 so far this year.
Box Tops – Download the Box Tops app and scan your receipts for SMPS PTSO to get Box Top credits.
Keep an eye on the PTSO website, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on what is coming up throughout the year!
Questions/concerns?? spmsptso@hotmail.com
For up to date happenings LIKE us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/SwissPointPTSO/
SPMS PTSO is on INSTAGRAM! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/spmsptso/
Check the PTSO website for all the latest news! http://www.swisspointptso.com/