SEMS Golden Eagles Newsletter
March 10th, 2024
Spring Forward SEMS!
Help your child get to bed a little earlier...
Consider removing access to screen time earlier than usual tonight. Children sleep better with at least 30-60 minutes without screens prior to bed. 6-12 year olds should get 9-12 hours of sleep a night, while 12-18 year olds should get 8-10 hours of sleep a night according to the CDC.
Upcoming Important Dates
- Thursday, 3/14: 8th Grade Trip to SMHHS or MHHS
- Friday, 3/15: Celebrate Pi Day at Lunch (we recognize this is not the actual 'Pi' Day, but we didn't want our 8th graders to miss out on the fun!)
- March 25th-29th: Spring Break
Thank you!!!!
8th Grade Updates!
We are well underway in our planning to celebrate our 8th graders at the end of this school year. As information is confirmed, we will update this section with important dates.
Did your student tell you about the Knights that came to visit their History classes last week?? If not, ask them what they learned. The students shared about their favorite classes, ways to get involved in school, and where to eat lunch!
Upcoming Important Dates for our 8th graders:
March 14th: SMHS and MHHS Field Trip!
March 15th: 8th Grade Behavior Expectations Talk through PE classes
March 18th: SMHS counselors will email students with course selection information and the info will be uploaded to the Google Site
March 22nd: Course Selection due!
End of the Year Dates:
May 30th: 8th Grade Party (on campus during the school day)
June 4th: Promotion practice
June 5th: 8th Grade Promotion
7th Grade Immunization Requirements
California immunization law requires all students entering 7th grade to be immunized with a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine booster (Tdap) and 2 varicella (chicken pox) vaccinations. If your student's immunization record on file with us does not show these vaccinations, you will be receiving a letter from the Health Office in May letting you know what vaccinations are missing. Proof of vaccinations are required before students are allowed to pick up their schedule or start school for the 2024-2025 school year.
Feel free to contact Mrs. Bushee in the Health Office with any questions or concerns at 760-290-2805.
Golden Eagle Tickets!
We also want to acknowledge and celebrate our students who make positive choices to help our school community! Each staff member has a stack of Golden Tickets that they can pass out to students for demonstrating: Positive Behavior, Respecting our Campus, Respecting Others, Showing Empathy, Being adaptable, Being a good communicator, Being a creative problem solver, Demonstrating leadership skills, Taking responsibility. Students can turn these in for prizes!
Pi Day
March 14 marks Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical sign pi. Founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, March 14 was selected because the numerical date (3.14) represents the first three digits of pi, and it also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday
We will have our 10th annual Pi Day competition on Friday, March 15 during both lunches where qualifying contestants will recite as many digits of Pi as they can.
All qualifying contestants get a slice of pie and the top two finishers will get a whole pie from mama kats. The champion from each lunch will have the opportunity to pie a teacher or the principal!
Happy Pi Day! See your math teacher for more details!
Counseling
School Counselors will be meeting with students who earned two or more D/F on the 2nd Semester 1st Progress Report. The School Counselors will review their grades, academic skills, areas of improvement, and create a plan for the next 6 weeks. Each student will receive a copy of the Individual Student Plan to review with their families.
8th Grade Biliteracy Recognition
Do you have an 8th grade student who speaks or studies a second language at home, or who is enrolled in a Spanish class at SEMS? SMUSD applauds bilingualism and biliteracy and is recognizing middle school students' unique language journeys with three different pathway recognitions. Click here to learn more; encourage your child to join the Google Classroom (join code is 3jggdot) for more details. There will also be an informational meeting at lunch in room 206 on Wednesday, March 20th. Please have your child see Mrs. Sestito in the AP office with any questions!
Yearbook
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to purchase the award-winning SEMS Yearbook for the 2023-2024 school year! The current price for the book is $65. THERE ARE ONLY 200 BOOKS LEFT FOR SALE!
Please click on the link below to order your yearbook directly from the Jostens’ website:
You will be asked to enter your student’s FULL, REGISTERED name (please no nicknames or shortened names as it can cause confusion in our system), grade level and homeroom teacher (first period teacher, if known). Again, it is important that you type in their school registered name, as it will sync with our rosters.
Questions regarding the yearbook publication may be directed to the yearbook adviser, Mrs. Sarah Meder: sarah.meder@smusd.org
Our next Bike Permit Class & Distribution Date is March 21st. You will bring a signed Wheels Contract to the course, complete the online course with supervision, and get your bike/helmet inspected all in the same afternoon. The Bike Permits Button above has all the details! Please don't hesitate to contact the Assistant Principals office for any questions. jazmin.andrade@smusd.org.
District Updates and Opportunities
- Please check out our full club list posted on our website and thank you to our student leaders for starting these awesome clubs on campus.
- BC Tutoring Option: Free, online Math Tutoring from SMHS Juniors and Seniors for community service. SEMS alumni!
- Brainfuse Free Online Tutoring: This is in students' apps in ClassLink! It's a free resource provided by the State of California.
- After School Tutoring and Extra Curricular Sessions will begin again January 29th. AFTER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES FULL LIST HERE
SEMS Sponsorship Banner Program
Thank you to all past and current sponsors, as your donations really help our student athletes in more ways than we can tell you. The corner of San Elijo Road and Schoolhouse Way is the place that our community gets to see your donations at work. The drop-off circle is the second and where our parents get to see your business names up close and personal, on a daily basis.
Donations are $500 and are handled through the SEMS PTO website.
Contact our Athletic Coordinator at geoffrey.gilpin@smusd.org, with any questions!
Future Ready Parent Workshops
See Something, Say Something
Safety Reminder - See Something, Say Something
As you may recall in the last District Safety Update, all SMUSD schools seek to foster a culture of see something, say something.
This means if you see any behavior, images or overhear something said that is concerning, whether in person or online, please say something by sharing it with a trusted adult. It takes all of our collective vigilance to keep our students, staff and SEMS community safe.
Stay Connected!
Want to keep up to date on all the happenings on campus?
Check out our Twitter/X account @SEMSEagles or on our new Instagram page sems_golden_eagles (scan the qr code).
For more updates, please also follow our PTO on social media (Instagram, Facebook) or through PTO linktree website or SEMS PTO website. The PTO's Instagram page gives a weekly look at all the upcoming happenings on campus!
San Elijo Middle School
Email: patricia.storey@smusd.org
Website: https://sanelijomiddle.smusd.org/
Location: 1600 Schoolhouse Way, San Marcos, CA. 92078
Phone: 760-290-2800