Sebastian River Times
February 2023

Dear SRMS Families,
We are well into our second semester and have included a number of opportunities to keep our families informed about upcoming events. In addition to the newsletter, please frequently visit our online school calendar which is located on the SRMS website.
Our students have done remarkably well in and out of the classroom. In January, the Boys and Girls Basketball team competed in District Tournament Championship games, and several of our students competed in the Regional Science Fair Competition and earned Special Awards, and Category Awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes. Congratulations to all of our students for their participation in each of these events. Our students have been off to a great start in 2023 with a number of successful events taking place. We look forward to their participation in upcoming Spring Athletic events, MYP Portfolio Extravaganza, and the statewide assessments which begin soon.
We want to inspire all of our students in their upcoming 2023 district and state progress monitoring assessments that will take place this spring for all grades. An assessment schedule is included in this newsletter.
Finally, we hope that you will take advantage of the upcoming Parent Conference Nights to meet with your child's teachers.
Click here to learn how to schedule a conference with your child's teacher today!
Sincerely,
Todd Racine,
The Proud Principal of Sebastian River Middle School








MIDDLE SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
- Language Arts
- Math
- Social Studies/Civics
- Science
Any semesters in which students earn a grade of "F" will need to be repeated through course recovery before the student is able to move on to high school. Course recovery is offered during summer school, and may impact elective choices.
So, it is very important that students make every effort to pass each semester of these classes each year they are at SRMS. Please monitor your student's grades at Progress Reports, using the FOCUS parent portal, and encourage them to take advantage of our after school tutoring opportunities. Our teachers are here to help them be successful - but our students have to put forth the effort too.
High School Level Courses & GPA

Course Recovery

AFTER SCHOOL TUTORING: TUESDAY & THURSDAY
Please note - buses make depot stops only: VLE/Fellsmere or Sebastian/Gifford. Please review with your student which stop is most near your home as drivers will not make adjustments to the routes. Passes will be given to students at tutoring.



UPCOMING CALENDAR NOTES:
- SRHS 8th Grade/Incoming 9th Grade Information Night - February 8th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. in the SRMS Cafeteria.
- SRHS Incoming 9th Grader pre-IB application deadline - February 14. Click here to complete the application. Only online applications will be accepted. No applications will be accepted after February 14.
- There is NO SCHOOL for students or teachers on February 17th and 20th.
SRHS pre-IB application deadline is February 14th.
- Good grades (As and Bs). If a student has a C, I usually reach out to the teacher/counselor to get more information.
- We prefer students who have had advanced classes, but we do accept students who are coming from general education courses with a teacher recommendation.
- Complete Algebra I or Geometry Honors by the end of 8th grade. If a student is in pre-Algebra and the student wants to pursue the IB Diploma in 11th grade, the student will need to complete Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II by the beginning of the junior year (August 2025).
- Spanish I—this requirement is NOT as important. We have a foreign language option that can satisfy the IB Diploma requirement for Spanish.
Click on this link to complete the application online: https://forms.office.com/r/U6XpZra7ZB


SAC Meetings 2023
Future SAC Meeting dates: February 22, March 15, and April 26.
All meetings begin at 3:45 p.m. and are held in the Media Center. Contact SAC Chair meredith.tatro@indianriverschools.org for the Teams link.

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February IB Learner Profile Trait - Risk-Taker
The term “risk-taker” can be misconstrued as being reckless or doing something dangerous. However, it is intended to instill into our students the confidence to approach unfamiliar situations with courage and forethought. Incidentally, IBO is in the process of changing the term “Risk-Taker” to “Courageous.”
The result of encouraging risk-taking/courage: Students that have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas, and strategies and are brave enough to articulate and defend their beliefs. These students will transition well into high school and beyond, show resilience, and excel in unfamiliar subjects and new content.

School Bus Transportation
Please remind your students that they are expected to be respectful and follow directions while on board our buses. Students risk losing the privilege of ridership if they violate safety and security measures put in place by the driver.
STUDENTS MUST HAVE THEIR ID BADGE FOR RIDING DISTRICT TRANSPORTATION, AND MAY LOSE RIDING PRIVILEGES IF THEY DO NOT HAVE THEIR BADGE.


Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Remember, all families must complete a lunch application for the 2022-2023 school year. Click here for more details.
Our cafeteria opens daily at 7:30 a.m. Upon arrival at school, students should go immediately to the cafeteria for breakfast. After finishing breakfast, students should move directly to either the gym (6th and 7th grade) or the Cowboy Courtyard (8th grade). Students should not be in the halls or visiting teachers' classrooms at this time.


Did Your Student Forget Lunch?

Report Cards
The third 9 weeks' progress reports will be published by February 16th.


PBIS Rewards
We have wired earburds, phone chargers and other electronics, snacks like Doritos and Takis; Mexican candy, Sour Patch Kids, Slim Jims, laptop stickers, school supplies including notebooks, pencils, folders, bookbags, highlighters; makeup items and hairbrushes, scrunchies; Pokemon cards, Crocs charms, sports collectibles, designer facemasks, socks, key chains...
Ask your student to show you their PBIS account - and sign up for a parent account! It's a fun way for your student to earn small items just by doing the right thing every day!
Sebastian River Middle School
Home of the Cowboys