Switzerland Point Middle School
Raider Rap- From SPMS - Issue #2
Important Information from School Administration
Raiders,
Please follow the link to access the SJCSD Code of Conduct. This a great resource to understand the expectations that each of our students will uphold the 6 Pillars of Character. Please reach out to your school counselor if you have any questions or concerns. The sign off on page 63 will be sent home on Monday, September 21. Please sign and return to your homeroom teacher.
-SPMS Administration
COVID 19 Info/ Updates
COVID-19 FAQ
My student tested positive for COVID-19. What do I do?
- If you haven’t already done so, please contact the St. Johns County Department of Health at (904) 209-3250, press option 6 and then option 1 to speak to someone.
- Next, please contact Nurse Kelly Brown at Ocean Palms (904)547- 8628 or Kelly.brown@stjohns.k12.fl.us
- Please pick up any siblings if in school
What happens next?
- The Department of Health (DOH) will explain isolation procedures for your student and quarantine procedures for any others in the household.
- If your student was in school 48 hours prior to symptom onset or test date, the school nurse, administration, and teachers will begin a thoughtful investigation to identify potential exposures/close contacts in the school setting (classroom, bus, extended day, etc.)
What makes someone a close contact?
- You are a close contact of a COVID-19 positive individual if, from 48 hours before their symptoms began, the person with COVID-19:
- Lived in your home or stayed overnight with you
- Took care of you or you took care of them
- Stayed within 6 feet of you for 15 minutes or longer
- Exposed you to their body fluids or secretions (e.g., coughed or sneezed on you)
How will I be notified if my student is identified as a potential close contact?
- If the exposure happened outside of school, you will be contacted by the Department of Health
- If the exposure occurred in a school setting, you may be contacted by the school nurse or administration first and asked to pick up your child from school.
- You will also receive an alert from School Messenger alerting you to an important email regarding your child and COVID-19
- The email will have a statement from the district and a DOH letter explaining the situation.
What is the difference between isolation and quarantine?
- Isolation keeps someone who tested positive for COVID-19 away from others, even in the same home.
- The isolation period is 10 days
- Quarantine keeps someone who was in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 away from others
- The quarantine period for close contacts is 14 days
Who determines what day my student can return to school?
- The St Johns County Department of Health (DOH) determines what day your student may return to school.
How are the days counted?
- COVID-19 positive individuals: start of symptoms or test date (whichever comes first) is considered day 0.
- Isolation continues through the 10th day.
- Close contacts: the day of the last known exposure is day 0.
- Quarantine continues through the 14th day
Does quarantine mean my student must stay home from school, but can participate in other activities (sports, clubs, sleepovers etc.)?
- Quarantine means staying home for 14 days
- Your student can develop symptoms at any point in the 14-day period.
- No, the student may not return to school. Your student must quarantine for the full 14 days, as symptoms can develop at any point during the incubation period. (Example: A negative test results on day 3 does not ensure a negative test result on day 12.)
If my student is considered a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, do I and any others in my household, need to get tested?
- No, testing is not required, but your student is required to self-quarantine for the full incubation period of 14 days and monitor for any symptoms. If during the 14 days, your student develops symptoms you should contact your family physician for guidance on testing and treatment recommendations.
My student is a close contact, do I and others in my household (siblings, spouse, etc.) need to quarantine?
- No, if your student does not develop symptoms, no one else in the household is required to quarantine. Members of the household would be considered “contacts of a contact” and there are no CDC recommendations, as you are twice removed from the positive individual.
What if I my student has been identified as a close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual, but has already had COVID-19 within the last 90 days?
Do I still need to quarantine?
- No, quarantining is not required as long your student has completely recovered from illness and remains free of COVID-19 symptoms.
- If your student has been asked to quarantine for 14 days but has tested positive for and recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, please obtain a copy of the test results and present them to the clinic nurse.
What if my student while quarantining tests positive for COVID-19?
- Please contact the St Johns County Department of Health
- Please contact Nurse Kelly Brown
- Follow DOH guidelines for isolating your student and quarantining others living in your household.
How does my student obtain clearance to return to school after quarantine/isolation?
- The Department of Health will contact you for follow-up a day or two prior to the scheduled return date. If deemed cleared to return to school, the DOH will fax a clearance letter to the school.
- Parents are not required to pick up the clearance letter at the DOH.
What if I don’t hear from the DOH prior to the scheduled return date?
- If you do not hear from the DOH by the day before your student is to return, please call (904) 209-3250, hit option 6 and then option 1 to speak to someone.
- You can also contact Nurse Kelly Brown for additional guidance
Absences
norma.jackson@stjohns.k12.fl.us
** It may take 72 hours for absences to be excused in the system. This includes absences for distance learners. Notes are required for ALL excused absences.
USDA School Lunch Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended plans to allow all students a breakfast and lunch option available at no cost. The meals available at no cost are the posted school lunch and breakfast menu. A la carte items are not included as part of the no cost meals. A la carte items will continue to be available for purchase.
Free School Breakfast and Lunch (not including Ala Cart Items) are available for both brick and ortar students and distance learners.
Yearbook: 2020 is a year we will never forget!
Order a yearbook today at www.yearbookordercenter.com for a discounted price of $35!
School code: 359
Are you a distance learner?
We would love pictures of your school days and virtual set up!
Or do you have some great pictures at school events?
Share them with us!
Go to www.hjeshare.com and upload your photos for consideration! School code 359. HJ eshare app is also available for Androids and iOS!
Sports, Sports, Sports
SPMS Boys and Girls Soccer for 2020-2021 School Year
Eligibility: All SPMS Students (6th, 7th, 8th) and any student distant learning, virtual, or home schooling that are zoned Swiss Point
Teams: SPMS will field teams as follows based on number of players at tryouts:
Boys and Girls Varsity for Experienced Players (15 to 18 players)
Boys and Girls Varsity Development for new and less experienced players (15 to 18 players)
Tryouts for Soccer will be on the athletic fields behind Swiss Point on the following dates:
Girls Tryouts: Monday/Tuesday (14 Sep/15 Sep)– 3:00PM to 4:30PM on Field behind School
Boys Tryouts: Wednesday/Thursday (16 Sep/17 Sep) – 3:00PM to 4:30PM on Field behind School
Note: Players are not allowed to stay at school to wait for tryout. Players should wear cleats, shin guards, and non-club jersey (white or plain colored T-shirt is best) for the tryouts. Players are responsible for transportation to and from home each day after tryouts.
Registration: All players MUST register to tryout. To register, go to www.SJMSAA.com and follow links for soccer registration. There is a $25 fee to register and tryout. Added Fees charged after acceptance on team.
Cheer Tryouts:
9/28 and 9/29 from 1:45-3:45.
Try-out with judges will be Wednesday the 30th starting at 1:15 (should last no later until 3:15).
If your child needs a tryout form, please have them contact Ms. Cox in her classroom or email her at Allison.proffitcox@stjohns.k12.fl.us
Girls Volleyball Tryouts :
9/21: 8th Grade Only 3:15-4:45
9/22: 7th Grade Only 3:15- 4:45
9/23 NONE
9/24: 6th Grade only 3:15- 4:45
9/25: Final Cuts (6,7,8 Call Backs only 3:15- 4:45)
Boys Volleyball Tryouts:
9/21 2-3 PM (all boys)
9/22: 2-3 PM (all boys)
9/24: 2-3 PM (all boys)
Coming Soon... Book Club for Parents- ONLINE with Mrs. Brunet
More details to come. Buy your book now! Read reviews now on Amazon.com
Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Program
The Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Program (SSYRA) is the primary reading program at SPMS and guides many school related reading activities and contests. Teachers often require students to read current or former SSYRA books as part of their curriculum. Students will receive prizes for reading the current SSYRA books, listed below. Students in the building will earn Brag Tags for each SSYRA book that they read. Virtual students will receive Schoology badges for each SSYRA book that they read.
Other prizes include:
Read 5 – free book
Read 10—author visit invitation( virtual or face-to-face )
Read 15– invite to ice cream sundae party or ice cream coupon
SPMS DESTINY eBooks and digital audiobooks
To access the SPMS eBooks and digital audiobooks follow the steps below.
1- Go to the SPMS links for students page and click Destiny. (There is also a link to Destiny on the SPMS Media Center page).
2- Scroll to find the eBooks or audiobooks.
3- Click on the eBook or audiobook you want to read or listen to.
4- Click on “Log in”
5- Where it says “Username” type your s# (example: s123456)
6- Where it says “Password” type in your school assigned password. (This is the same password you use for Schoology of HAC).
7- Click open or checkout to begin reading/ listening to the book. Open will let you look at/ listen to the book on the device temporarily. Checkout will download the book to the device and you will have it for 2 weeks.
Once you have checked out a book, you can also access that book on the Destiny Read app.
Putting Books on Hold in Destiny
Brick and Mortar students may use Follett Destiny to check out physical books from our library. Students can put a book on hold and books will be delivered to homeroom classes each day. To do this students should got to Destiny on the SPMS Links for students page and find the book they would like to checkout. They will click on the book, click login (Username is s# and password is school assigned password), and click hold. The book will be delivered to the student’s homeroom. Students may borrow up to 2 items at a time and have up to 2 items on hold at a time. Items checked out can be kept for 2 weeks.
World Book Online:
World Book Online is a great database to use for research. It contains articles, videos, and images all of which include citations needed for bibliographies to avoid plagiariam.
To access Worldbook Online:
1) 1 Go to the SPMS Student links page and click on World Book Online
2) 2 Username is: spms
3) 3. Password is: raiders
4) 4. Click student or advanced to search for items using a search bar.
5.5. Citation will be at the bottom of the page.
Volunteer Opportunity (posted on behalf of Mandarin Methodist)
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
“ARE YOU IN NEED OF VOLUNTEER HOURS?”
Bring a friend and join us unloading pumpkin trucks at:
Mandarin United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch
11270 San Jose Boulevard South
Required: face mask
closed-toe shoes
work gloves
personal water bottle
You should also wear clothes that can get dirty!
Volunteers will earn an average of 3-4 hours per truck.
Volunteer forms will be signed at the end of each truck unloading.
Opportunity Dates
Saturday, September 26, 2020 - 8:00 am
Saturday, October 10, 2020 - 8:00 am
Saturday, October 17, 2020 - 8:00 am
Saturday, October 24, 2020 - 8:00 am
Please register at the following link: https://signup.com/go/yEpOgWg