The Seahawks Call
Week of September 20th through October 1st, 2021
The Seahawks Call is being sent on a bi-monthly basis.
VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE PROCEDURES
In order for you to be admitted into any meeting, your display name needs to match the name of the parent or legal guardian of your student that we have on file.
6:00 - 6:25 Opening from Admin
6:25 - 6:35 Period 1
Exciting News - Washington Post Principal of the Year Award Nomination Window is now Open
The Seahawks are nominating Mrs. Taylor for the Washington Post Principal of the Year Award! We think our principal is the best and we want her to win, so we need your help. Please consider writing a letter of support sharing why you feel that Principal Taylor should win this well-deserved award. Letters can include personal anecdotes and/or examples of how her leadership affects the school community as a whole.
All letters must include either a digital or physical signature and can be both printed and/or sent electronically. Please send all electronic letters to the Reading Resource Teacher, Andrea Johnson, at afjohnson@ccboe.com.
We would like to compile all the letters by October 15th, 2021, so please try to send in your letter before that date. Thanks for your support!
PICTURE DAY is scheduled for Friday, 9/24 & Monday, 9/27!
UPDATED CCPS COVID-19 PROCEDURES
CCPS has updated its protocols for the testing of sick students and staff by a school nurse. Students with a known exposure who want to test out of quarantine after seven days with a negative COVID-19 test must now visit their doctor, use an outside vendor or test through the Charles County Department of Health. The health department offers free testing three times a week. Families may also elect to quarantine their child for 10 days and return to school without testing.
Staff who are exposed outside of school will no longer be allowed to receive a COVID-19 test at school to end a quarantine early. Staff should visit their doctor, use an outside vendor or test through the health department on day seven, or wait until day 10 to return to work without a test.
Rapid tests will only be administered by nurses at their discretion for students or staff who display COVID-19 symptoms. Any student or staff member who pre-screens as potentially positive for COVID-19 will be offered a PCR test.
Staff and students may not return to school or school activities until the results of the test are known. Additionally, individuals who refuse the PCR test after pre -screening as potentially positive will be presumed COVID-19 positive and excluded from school and school activities for ten days. CCPS also updated the COVID-19 prescreening questionnaire.
COVID-19 Quarantine Instructional Support Plan
Our main priority for students who are placed on "COVID-19 quarantine" by the school is their health and safety. However, if you are able to work on your assignments, please continue to access your work via the gradebook and course content features of StudentVUE. Your teacher’s LMS pages (class websites) in StudentVUE will also have information about what you missed in class. Grade level content teachers are hosting daily optional opportunities for instructional support at assigned times.
Joining these instructional Zoom meetings are not mandatory while students are quarantining and will not suffice for full-on, live instruction. When quarantining we want our students to focus on getting well or staying healthy. But, if a student has academic questions or need clarifications in any of the four instructional content areas while quarantining, these Zoom meetings will be available for access and support.
Students on COVID-19 quarantine will have their absence marked "Medically Excused" by our attendance secretary for their entire quarantine period. This will ensure that students will have the opportunity to make up any missed assignments.
More detailed information on how Milton Somers Middle School supports students while on quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19 can be found on our school website under the tab section “Quarantine Instructional Support Plan” of the homepage or clicking here: Quarantine Instructional Support Plan (ccboe.com).
Early Fall MCAP Testing
.........From the Library
A letter from The Charles County Public Library went home on the first day of school offering all CCPS students the opportunity to have a virtual public library card. This virtual card will allow them to check out up to 15 public library items (including DVDs), and gives students access to all the digital resources that CCPL offers. If your child already has a physical library card- they can still have both! If you want your child to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity, there is nothing further that you need to do. If you decide that you would rather opt-out, please complete the form that was sent home and return it to the school.
If you signed the letter and returned it unintentionally, please contact me at hhartman-jansen@ccboe as soon as possible to change your child's status to OPT IN.
Still searching for PTSO Officers for SY21-22
Unfortunately, we still do not have any PTSO Officers for this school year. Therefore, we are opening up nominations again for PTSO Executive Board Members for the 2021-2022 school year. We know many parents just join PTSO and may not want to be an officer, but in every organization, we have to have leaders. Without PTSO officers, there can't be a PTSO!
Current positions available are:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Please email us at somersms@ccboe.com to submit your name and interested position.
SCHOOL SUPPORTS
Matthew Newcamp - 6th Grade VP - mnewcamp@ccboe.com
Marlon Walker - 7th Grade VP - mwalker@ccboe.com
Cynthia Panizzi - 8th Grade VP - cpanizzi@ccboe.com
Zachary Ortolano - zortolano@ccboe.com
COUNSELING SUPPORTS
Mike Simms - 6th Grade Counselor - msimms@ccboe.com
John Craddock- 7th Grade Counselor - jcraddock@ccboe.com
Nancy Franklin - 8th Grade Counselor - nfranklin@ccboe.com
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM
Andrea Johnson - Reading Resource Teacher (Reading) - afjohnson@ccboe.com
Jennifer Branham - Instructional Resource Teacher (Math) - jbranham@ccboe.com
Suzanne Johnson - Learning Resource Teacher (Gifted Education and Testing Coordinator) - srjohnson@ccboe.com
Email: somersms@ccboe.com
Website: https://www.ccboe.com/schools/somers/
Location: 300 Willow Lane, La Plata, MD 20646
Phone: 301-934-4663
Twitter: @miltonsomersms