Springton Lake Middle School
Every Student. Every Day. No Matter What.
Springton Lake Middle School
Email: RSalladino@rtmsd.org
Website: https://www.rtmsd.org/2/home
Location: 1900 North Providence Road, Media, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 627-6500
Twitter: @SpringtonLakeMS
December 4, 2020
Happy Friday - December is Here!
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope that you are all doing well and that you are excited for the weekend. I also hope that your Thanksgiving Break was enjoyable and restful. I know that our students appreciated the nice break from Zoom and Schoology. It's hard to believe, but we are entering the final weeks of 2020. The 2+ weeks leading up to Winter Break will be busy, but we are also planning to incorporate some fun and festive activities to add to the holiday season. Student Council will be sponsoring several spirit days - get those ugly holiday sweaters ready! Similar to the pumpkin contest in October, we will also be having a family gingerbread decorating contest - with more great prizes up for grabs! Stay tuned for all of the details for these and other things that we are planning between now and the break.
I have received a few questions about options for students' learning plans for the weeks and months ahead and I wanted to address that for you here. The end of the 2nd marking period is Friday, January 15, 2021. Prior to that time, I will be reaching out to the families of students enrolled in the fully-virtual cohort to provide the option for students to join one of the in-person hybrid cohorts for the 3rd marking period. Please look for this communication from me in early January. This decision will cover the period from January 19th thru the end of the 3rd marking period on Friday, March 26, 2021.
I know that some families have taken a cautious approach regarding in-person learning following the Thanksgiving holiday. If you would like to switch your child to the fully-virtual cohort for the remainder of the 2nd marking period, please email me and we will update our records. This will allow our teachers to plan appropriately for instruction. It will also stop the daily email that you receive with the symptom screener. If you opt to keep your child in their in-person cohort, it is very important that you complete the daily symptom screener - even if they will be learning from home on a given day. Regardless of the decision that you make for your child, our goal is to continue to work with each family to support their level of comfort with in-person instruction.
As always, THANK YOU for taking the time to read and review this weekly communication!
Spirit Wear for the Holidays - GOING FAST!
The PTG is providing contactless payment and pick-up of spirit wear items just in time for the holiday season. School spirit wear is available for virtual orders/payment and contactless pick-up for one more week! Start your holiday shopping here. Sweatshirts are $30 and sweatpants are $25. Parents may Venmo @Lisa-teplica-1 and include student's name, item size/color, and parent cell phone. The PTG will text you when the order is available. For more information, please contact Lisa Teplica at LTeplica1@gmail.com. All sales are first come, first served. Quantities are limited.
Student Council's Joy Drive
Student's Council's annual Joy Drive is currently in-progress and will run for one more week. This is our opportunity to support families in need in our local community. The Spartan Tree, located in our Main Lobby, is decorated with snowflakes that contain gift information for a child in our community. Families who are able and interested in purchasing a gift may take a snowflake from the tree. Thank you to all of our students, families, and staff who have already taken an ornament from the tree. Unwrapped gifts (in a gift bag, if possible) may be placed under the tree by Monday, December 14th. Please include the snowflake with your gift. Students who would still like to take a snowflake may do so next week. Any fully-virtual students who would like to participate may contact Mrs. Gilroy. Thank you, in advance, for your support of this Springton Lake holiday tradition of giving!
School Pictures & Identification Cards
School pictures and student identification cards from Lifetouch have arrived and will be distributed next week. For students who are fully-virtual, parents may stop by the Main Office from 7:30am until 4:00pm daily for pick-up. Picture re-take days will be January 6th and 7th. Any student who was not photographed in November will be able to have their picture taken in January. Students who ordered a photo package but are not satisfied, may return the photos for a re-take. More details about the schedule for January 6th and 7th will be provided as we get closer.
Traveling for the Holidays? What You Need to Know...
On November 25th, the PA Department of Health amended an Order on travel restrictions that they had issued on November 17th. The amended Order requires that travelers over the age of 11 entering Pennsylvania from locations outside the Commonwealth, as well as Pennsylvanians who are returning home from locations outside the Commonwealth, produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or place themselves in travel quarantine for 14 days upon entering, unless they receive a negative test result during the 14-day travel quarantine period.
The amended Order requires that students either quarantine for 14 days upon entering Pennsylvania OR take a COVID-19 test and receive a negative test result. Students can test upon entering PA (the previous Order required a student to get a test 72 hours prior to entering PA). Students must remain home while awaiting test results. A rapid antigen test or a diagnostic PCR test may be used to meet the testing requirement. Upon receipt of a negative test result, the student can begin attending school. Parents who elect to not have their child tested must keep their child out of school for the full 14-day quarantine period which begins the day they returned to PA. Individuals who are returning to the Commonwealth after traveling outside the Commonwealth for less than 24 hours are exempt from this testing/quarantine requirement.
Yearbook Information - Never Too Soon...
June may seem a long way off, but production of this year's yearbook is already underway. Students and parents are invited to share photos of what life looks like for you - what learning looks like at home and how you are spending time together as a family. Eighth grade students will also have the opportunity to have a baby picture and personalized message included in this year's yearbook. Here are all of the important details...
Purchase this year's yearbook now - the pre-order cost through December 31st is $25. After that, the cost will be $30. Go to www.jostens.com and click on Yearbooks ---> Buy Your Yearbook and search for our school.
8th Grade Baby Pictures will be $10. Each section will be 1/8 of a page. You will be able to choose the format of your "ad" and include a photo and personalized message for your graduate. Again, go to www.jostens.com and search for Springton Lake Middle School. Click on Yearbook Recognition Ads. You'll then need to sign-in or create a new account. Follow the prompts to submit your ad. Please include your child's homeroom teacher's name.
To share photos for possible inclusion in the yearbook, click here. The user ID is 415963949. Be sure to include the grade level, names of students depicted, and a description of the photo. Submissions will be accepted through February 21, 2021.
Penncrest High School TOPS Shop - Now Open!
The Penncrest High School TOPS Shop is now open - and available ONLINE - just in time for the holiday season. The TOPS Shop is managed by the students in the Linking Learning to Life program. There are lots of great gift ideas - particularly for our 8th grade students who will be making the transition to Penncrest next year. Be sure to check it out!
COVID-19 Questions & Assistance
Parents & guardians who have COVID-related questions during the school day should contact our School Nurse, Ms. Hartner by email or phone - 610-627-6512. For COVID-related questions after school hours, you can reach a school district nurse. Contact information is located on the RTMSD website under District Reopening, After Hours-Covid Questions and Answers. There is a nurse available in the mornings before school from 5am to 7am, in the evenings during the week from 4pm to 10pm, and on Sunday evenings from 4pm to 10pm.
IMPORTANT REMINDER - Daily Student Symptom Screening
Parents & Guardians are required to complete an electronic symptom screening for each student. The screening will only be required for days that students are scheduled to attend school in-person. On these days, parents should look for an early morning email (check SPAM) from Rose Tree Media School District. While our overall completion rate is improving, I want to stress the IMPORTANCE of completing the daily screener BEFORE your child leaves for school.
Please make note of the following important items:
1. Please have handy your child's student ID # (lunch code) as this will be required in order to complete the screening.
2. For hybrid students, please complete the symptom screening on the days that your child should be attending in-person EVEN if they will be absent or have a need to work virtually on that day.
3. Please complete the screening PRIOR to 7:30am. A report is run at that time and students who have not submitted the screening are removed from the classroom until the response is received. I know that it is stressful and uncomfortable for students to be pulled from class.
The symptom screening is just one more way that we are working to keep students safe at school.
Technology Resources
Need to submit a HELP DESK ticket? Let our Technology Team help!
Need assistance with HAC or Schoology? Contact Mrs. Kelly in the Guidance Department.
The Spartan Scoop - Week of November 30th
Check our this week's editions of The Spartan Scoop.