• September 12: Interims Post
• September 14: 6th Grade Open House
• September 18: 7th/8th Grade Open House
• September 19: PTSO Community Chat-Social Media-RSVP Required
• September 21: Character Counts! Chats (modified bell schedule), NJHS Induction
• September 29: Neon Bash

Safety for our students and staff is our number one priority. For that reason, we operate this campus using a single point of entry for all visitors. Please park in the front lot and use the front door to enter the school. Please do not park in the back and try to enter through any other door. All students and staff are reminded not to open the doors or let anyone in through any door.

We know that when we have a lot of substitutes and meetings our front lot gets full. If you arrive to campus between 7:35 and 1:30 (12:30 on Wednesday) and there are no empty spots, you can park in the loop. You do need to ensure your car is moved by 1:30 (12:30 on Wednesdays).

We appreciate your assistance with this.

Testing Update:

Way to go Raiders on a successful round of state testing!

Do you know how to access the results from Progress Monitoring 1? General information on how to access your child’s Progress Monitoring 1 score information can be found here: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/access-state-score-report/, and step-by-step instructions can be found here: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Accessing-the-Statewide-Assessments-Family-Portal.pdf

FAST Progress Monitoring 1 make-ups will begin on August 28th. Students will be notified of their make-up day from their 1st period teacher. Make-up sessions are based on staff availability.

SPMS and the SPMS PTSO are hosting a New Parent Schoology session. This will be offered on September 14 from 4:30-5:30. Schoology is our online learning management system. This is where teachers will post weekly updates, dues dates, resources, and materials. As a parent, this is the place where you can go to see when tests are and what assignments are due daily/weekly. In this session, we will help you set up your parent account (if you don’t have one) and show you how to navigate through Schoology. This is an especially important resource to know how to use here at SPMS. If you are interested in attending this New Parent Schoology session, please sign up here. There are limited seats available so be sure to sign up early!

· Thursday, September 14th for 6th grade
· Monday, September 18th for 7th /8th grade
· Please park in the back. You will walk all the way up the sidewalk and enter through the cafeteria. We will have two deputies and PSAs to assist in directing traffic.
· The cafeteria will open at 4:30 PM on September 14th to visit PTSO and PTSO business partners. The cafeteria opens at 5:00 PM on September 18th. If you arrive prior to 5:25, you will need to wait in the cafeteria.
· At 5:30, classroom rotations begin. You will need to either pull up your student’s schedule on HAC or print it at home prior to coming. Remember, when you go into HAC you click on schedule and then click on classes to view the schedule in order with room numbers and teacher names.
· You will spend 9 minutes in each class period and have 5 minutes to change classes. We will make announcements when it is time to move to the next class period. For safety reasons, we will not be handing out maps, but we will have students and staff to assist you in the hallway if you do not bring your student(s) with you.
· This is a time for you to learn about the teachers, classroom daily procedures and expectations, how to access information for each class, and what students will be learning this year. This is not a time for questions about individual student progress. Please email the teachers for student-specific questions.
· The evening will conclude at 7 PM.

Do you know what your child is doing on social media?

How does one navigate their kids through the digital world?

Want to know how to monitor your child on social media?

SPMS is hosting an event you won't want to miss! The SPMS PTSO is sponsoring speaker Susan Wind, MS who will show parents the latest trends on social media, give advice, education and resources to help deal with serious issues involving their child's safety and privacy.

PARENTS ONLY - No kids! Tough topics will be covered!

This seminar is geared for parents with kids ages 5-18. The most popular apps (and their secrets) will be explored. You will also learn the laws and advice pertaining to cyber bullying and cyber crimes!

Space is limited so you do need to sign up ahead of time. Here is the Sign Up: RSVP HERE!

This will be held in the SPMS Auditorium on September 19th from 6:30-8:00 PM.

Character Counts! Bingo is underway! Our goal is to help our students mold into students who show all the pillars of character (Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship). This year we have decided to help spotlight what each character trait look like, as well as just being kind. Students have received their bingo card, but if they need another one they should ask their 1st period teacher. In each square of the BINGO card are ways you can exhibit the character traits that are the focus of each 9 weeks. When a staff member sees a student doing something that is on the BINGO card, they will give the student a stamp. Students should make an X on their bingo card to win for the first 9 weeks. Once students have an X on their card, they will turn it in to the Raider Store (amount of Raider Bucks TBA until after the first store). Please continue to encourage your student to show good character every day and to always be kind.

Each month, teachers are able to nominate students who display the pillar of character for that month. Those students receive their certificates and are invited to lunch with us at the end of the month.

In the month of September, we celebrate the pillar of Fairness. We look for students who:

• Play by the rules
• Take turns and share
• Be open-minded; listen to others
• Don’t take advantage of others
• Don’t blame others carelessly
• Treat all people fairly

WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?

· When you hear, “It’s not fair!” ask your child to define what is unfair about the situation. Usually, when you hear this, it means your child didn’t receive something he/she thinks was deserved or an expectation has not been met – whether real or imagined.

· Discuss the question, “Does fair mean equal?” Talk about situations in school, home, or the community where the answers may sometimes be “yes” and sometimes “no”.

· Set family goals. Have each member of the family complete the following sentence and post it where it will serve as a reminder: I will show fairness by: _________________

PARENTS CAN PROMOTE FAIRNESS:

Create a democratic family environment by providing opportunities for each family member to provide input on appropriate family topics and decisions.

· Embrace the uniqueness of each family member without making comparisons of specific areas of competence.

· Consistently apply pre-determined rules and make expectations clear and predictable.

· Advocate and help others who are impacted by adversity.

· Involve children in developing rules they are to follow.

During the week of September 18 we will be celebrating "Jacksonville Goes To College Week". We will have a dress-up theme each day. Students need to be in dress code. The dress days are as follows.

September 18: I have BIG dreams for my future: PJ Day

September 19: We are WILD about our future: Animal print/animal shirt

September 20: HATS off to a great future: Hat day

September 21: Dress for success: Career dress-up day

September 22: It's my PLAN! wear college shirts or colors

Please see the information below about the college fair on Saturday, September 23rd. It's never too early to start looking into it!

Len Mattiace is a former graduate from Nease High School and is currently a golfer on the PGA Tour. The Len Mattiace foundation helps youth in NE Florida with raising awareness about bullying and creating a safe environment for them.

Last spring we had three winners. Two students won prizes of $100, and the top prize winner of the contest won $1000!!!

Contest dates are 9/5-11/3/23 by 5 PM

See the flier below and the website for details.

https://www.lenmattiace.com/st-johns-stop-the-bullying-campaign

TARDY POLICY:

• We find it vital to your student’s academic success that they be on time to class every day!
• Tardy Definition: A student is not in the classroom prior to the tardy bell ringing. They are there AFTER a teacher has closed their classroom door to begin instruction.
• Once tardy to class, the student MUST visit one of 4 SWIPE machines located in the hallways to receive a tardy pass to class. Failure to report directly to class after a tardy pass is received will result in other disciplinary actions.
• Tardies will be reset at the start of each quarter.
• You can view daily attendance, including tardies, on HAC. Log on, click the attendance tab, and a color-coded calendar appears. Hover over a date to see the attendance code. Light purple is a Tardy Unexcused.

• TARDY TO CLASS :

• 5th TARDY: Lunch Detention
• 6th TARDY: Lunch Detention (2 Days)
• 7th TARDY: After School Detention
• 8th TARDY: ISS
• 9th Tardy: ISS – 2 days
• 10th Tardy: ISS – 2 Days

• TARDY TO SCHOOL :
• Unexcused tardies to school will be counted separately but will follow the same tardy progression plan.

• 5th TARDY: Lunch Detention
• 6th TARDY: Lunch Detention (2 Days)
• 7th TARDY: After School Detention
• 8th TARDY: ISS
• 9th Tardy: ISS – 2 days
• 10th Tardy: ISS – 2 Days

Quick Reminders:

• Water bottles must have caps – not lids with straws. Please refrain from sending students with any beverage that is not in a spill-proof container. Thank you!
• Bedroom slippers are not allowed! Students wearing slippers will be asked to change into their gym shoes.
• Wireless devices should be turned off and put away. If you need to contact your child, please communicate through our front office, and we will get a message delivered. Thank you!

Attention parents of 6th graders:

The St Johns County School District Health Services will be conducting our annual health screening on November 2, 2023. These screenings will be conducted through your student’s PE class and is only for 6th grade students. Your student will be offered a free screening that includes height, weight, vision, hearing, and scoliosis. If you wish to opt out of the testing, please fill out the form and return it to the clinic no later than 10/25/2023.

You can have your student drop the form off in the clinic or email it to:

Kelly.brown@stjohns.k12.fl.us

Please call if you have any questions or concerns regarding the screenings.

We had over 95 girls tryout.

Continue playing! Local clubs are having tryouts in the first week of November for the Jacksonville area that play in town (JJVA, Baymeadows, 904). Sportsedge (off Race Track Rd.) is offering a Sand volleyball outdoor middle school season for those interested in the growing Beach/Sand game. Many high schools now offer Sand volleyball teams, and there are college scholarships available.

2023 Team

8th Elli Ament

8th Tahlya Joyner

8th Kyleigh Kendall

8th Mila Moore

8th Gianna Parish

8th Abi Saarela

8th Regan Temple

7th Parker Bradly

7th Sofianne Civitelli

7th Brooklyn Harrelson

7th Mallory Latta

7th Lauryn Williams

7th Ashlyn Madden

Practice players

7th Anissa Tucker

6th Mahlia Oeur

6th Trinn Radford

Join our team to compete in the most exciting math competition around! Our team will meet regularly for practice as we prepare for the North Florida Chapter Mathcounts Competition held in January or February. The content covers 6th grade through 10th grade math and more! If you are interested in learning more, join our Schoology group to receive information about our first practice. 2023 Group Code: M3FK-F8MR-DJSWG

Your SPMS Winterguard will be performing at the OPENING Game for your hometown hockey team, the Jacksonville Icemen!

Support our team by purchasing a $20 ticket TODAY! $5 goes back to your team! Come cheer them on as they take the ice for a fun performance!! Share with your family, friends, neighbors and more!

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!

These funds will help with show costs! Thank you for your support!

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! My name is Kylie Benetsky, and I am the Instructional Literacy Coach at Swiss. I work alongside teachers to help students achieve success across the content areas. I am excited to be supporting your children this year!

Please see the attached newsletter for more information about reading, as well as to see this issue's SPMS Featured Teachers!

Schoology is used by teachers to post assignments and due dates for students. Each student and parent will be issued a username and password to access Schoology. This forum creates a calendar for students to access assignments, see when they are due, and sometimes, submit assignments. If you are a returning SJCSD student or parent, your login information does not change. New families to SJCSD received this information the first week of school.

You can learn more about Schoology here: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/media/edtech/schoology/schoology-for-parents/

The Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) Program is a statewide reading motivational program for students in grades 3 through 8. The purpose of the SSYRA Program is to encourage students to read independently for pleasure and to read books that are on, above, and below their reading level in order to improve their reading fluency. Sunshine State books are selected for their wide appeal, literary value, varied genres, curriculum connections, and/or multicultural representation. Students can earn prizes by reading the books and taking a short verbal quiz on them in the media center! Students who read 10 or more SSYRA books are eligible to try out for the Battle of the Books team in the winter. Please see the PDF for the annotated list of this year’s books. Please email madison.gowin@stjohns.k12.fl.us for any questions about our SSYRA program!

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 the school. Cost is $25. Complete the form here to submit 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 17th, then your message will be displayed on Tuesday, September 21st.

SPMS athletics consists of both boys and girls volleyball and basketball, in addition to Winterguard.

All other middle school sports are operated by SJMSAA.

The St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association (”SJMSAA”) middle school sports program is not operated or sponsored by the St. Johns County School District. SJMSAA is an independent, private non-profit corporation that uses District middle school names and facilities under a license agreement with the District, and which is solely responsible for the operation of the SJMSAA middle school sports program and its individual teams.
Students need to register through the SJMSAA website prior to tryouts. Once a student makes a team, he/she will be provided with more information on paying and filling out the required forms

https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/

Congratulations to the members of the Girl's Soccer Team.

Vivian Bromley

Lilly Browne

Olivia Burns

Aubrey Carn

Juliette Darroch

Sofia De la Espriella

Nyla Favaroth

Aiden Newcomb

Tori Robles

Amelia Sipkovsky

Ava Spinner

Bianca Stoica

Anabelle White

Juliana Zapata

Isla Bedway

Brittany Pedersen

Eva Garcia

Taylor Dolaher

Please join the board at the September monthly meeting as final preparations are made for the 2023 Neon Bash! Sheriff Hardwick will be joining us as well! We would love to have you there!

Raider Families! Due to the rescheduling of the open houses, the PTSO has decided to extend the deadline to order spirit wear to September 19th, 2023! We will be in the cafeteria so stop by and see us!

ORDER ONLINE HERE!

The PTSO-sponsored Neon Bash is going to be amazing! Due to the large student body, attendance will be limited so get your tickets early! Lots of helping hands will be needed and appreciated!

VOLUNTEER SIGN UP

MEMBER ONLY SALES BEGIN 9/5/2023 - $5.00 (An email will be sent directly to PTSO members! Get your membership today so you can get your ticket for $5 too!)

The Sunshine Cart is the PTSO mobile version of staff appreciation! We take the goodies to them so they don’t have to find some time to get to the staff lounge!

This is a great way to help the PTSO show appreciation for all that the SPMS staff does for your student(s)!

Browse the staff appreciation wishlist, pick your favorite goodie and make sure to put your student's name in the notes! They will receive 10 Raider Bucks for donating!!

Thank you for your continued support, Raider Families!! SPMS PTSO Sunshine Cart Wishlist

The Raider Store is where students can spend their hard earned Raider Bucks! Your student earns Raider Bucks from their teachers and staff for showing good character in the classroom and the hallways! They can then spend them in the PTSO sponsored Raider Store.

We are always looking for new and fun things to stock the store with to keep the students coming back!

Please put your student's name on the gift, and they will be credited 10 Raider Bucks for your donation!

Thank you for your support! SPMS PTSO Raider Store Wishlist Raider Store Volunteer Sign Up

http://www.swisspointptso.com/

The SPMS PTSO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the learning and work experience of the students and staff at SPMS.

Our membership includes teachers, administrators, parents and students.

What do we do?

Student Initiatives:

• Neon Bash-Fall Dance for students
• Raider Store-Rewards for students who earn Raider Bucks for academic and behavioral performance
• Grade Level Support
• Character Counts! Rewards

Staff Initiatives:

• Classroom grants-teacher members are eligible for up to $100 in a classroom grant to purchase items to enhance their classroom
• Staff luncheons and breakfast
• Staff Appreciation
• Annual Donation to the school for technology and other needs

How do we pay for these initiatives?

• MEMBERSHIP-this is our biggest fundraiser. By simply joining PTSO, families help us reach our goals
• Spirit Wear-PTSO sells spirit wear each fall
• Fall/Spring Fundraisers-examples include Nothing Bundt Cakes and Poppin' Box
• Business Partners-our area business help SPMS through our Partners in Education program
• Corporate Donation Matches, Amazon Smile, Box Tops and private donations

How do you join?

• A family membership is $25 for the school year. The membership includes parents and any sibling at SPMS.
• Membership form can be found at https://switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

We are excited about a wonderful and busy 2023-2024 school year and making a difference at Swiss!

If you are interested in finding out how you can help contact Dawn Evans at dawnevanswebpto@gmail.com

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT PTSO

There will be various fundraisers throughout the school year to participate in to help fund the PTSO 2023-2024 initiatives.

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/