Good Afternoon,

Please join me in welcoming two additions to the Raider Family. Mr. Puckett will be joining Ms. Gibian as a second Dean. Together they will continue working on promoting Character Counts! and PBIS. We will be getting ready to roll out some ways students can cash in their Raider Bucks for some rewards soon! Stay tuned for more information on that!

Ms. Parks is joining the guidance department as our third School Counselor. Ms. Parks will be over all 6th graders this year. Ms. Tippins will be over 7th grade and Ms. Patterson will be heading up the 8th grade. The School Counselors will be working together to make sure our students are meeting all academic expectations and supporting their social-emotional needs.

Just a reminder that our Virtual Open House will be occurring tomorrow, September 2nd. All teacher’s video’s will be available on their Schoology account by 4 PM. If you have questions for individual teacher’s, please reach out to them by email and they will get back with you. If you still need assistance with Schoology please scroll down to find the help documents and videos below.

Have a safe and relaxing long weekend!

Ms. Carnall

· While waiting to pick up or drop off your student please be mindful of not blocking entrances to local neighborhoods. We want everyone to be safe while traveling and waiting.

· Morning drop-off: You may be directed to pull forward or to pull around the loop. Either way we ask that you pull all the way forward to the cone so we may keep the flow of traffic moving. If you pull around the loop we ask your students exit on the right and move into the grass at the right. This is a change from last year as we asked that they cross into the center. In the morning, there will be no parking in the roundabout. This is for drop-off and thru traffic only.

Please be sure that all students are ready to exit the car once you pull through the gates so we can ensure an efficient drop off process.

· Afternoon pick up: Please be sure to pull all the way forward to the orange cone or as far forward as you can and have your student come to you so we may keep the flow of traffic moving. If you wish to post a sign in your window with your child's name we can assist in getting your student to you quicker.

You should continue to use the Student Health Screening Entry form and monitor your student for symptoms. The answers to all symptoms/questions should be no for your student to attend school. Please see the attached documents for assistance.

The COVID info web page for SJCSD families is now live at

https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/covid-19/

Here you will find the most up to date information.

This site includes the COVID Dashboard, Quarantine Help Guides, directions to access online textbooks and Schoology, and Health & Safety resources.

As you know, masks are optional for all students. Any adult that enters the campus is required to have a mask on at this current time. We will continue to respect each other’s choices and personal space. We will continue with many of our protocols from last year to reduce congestion in the hallways and cafeteria. Hand sanitizer will be available in the offices, hallways and classrooms for student access. We will continue with our cleaning and disinfecting protocols from last year as directed by the SJCSD.

Attached you will find a Parent Schoology guide. We do ask that parents use your parent schoology account only.

We've also attached the student schoology login guide as well.

Here is the link to the 1 hour training the district did to help parents with Schoology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syiTk3Evln8

Here is the district website with FAQ and helpful links about Schoology: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/media/edtech/schoology/schoology-for-parents/

To display fairness, we should play by the rules, take turns and share. We keep an open mind and listen to others. We don’t take advantage of others or blame them carelessly. SPMS recognizes students monthly who are displaying the charter trait of the pillar of the month. Students get nominated for this recognition by their teachers. We hope your student gets “caught” displaying fairness this month!

Students will only be released to the parent or guardian, or the Emergency Contact listed in eSchool.

A current Driver’s License or state id must be presented in the front office at that time.

No student may be signed out after 1:35 PM every day except Wednesday. The latest early check out on Wednesday is 12:35 PM.

Students who check out during the school day due to illness are not eligible to return to school that evening to participate in activities or be a member of the audience.

All returning National Junior Honor Society members, please complete the intent to return form and turn it in to Ms. Wilkie by September 24th. We are looking forward to a great year in NJHS!

The National Junior Honor Society will be accepting applications for new members at the end of October. NJHS is an organization for 7th and 8th grade students with a 3.25 GPA or above that exemplify Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship, Service and Character. This organization is designed to help students develop habits to be successful in high school, college and their career. Please see Mrs. Barnes or Mrs. Wilkie for questions.

We are very excited to kick off a new school year with The Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) Program is a statewide reading motivational program for students in grades 3 through 8. The purpose of the SSYRA Program is to encourage students to read independently for pleasure and to read books that are on, above, and below their reading level in order to improve their reading fluency. Sunshine State books are selected for their wide appeal, literary value, varied genres, curriculum connections, and/or multicultural representation. Please see the attached PDF for more info. Students will get a preview of these books during orientation and will get the chance to check out their favorite, as well as learn about the prizes they can earn as they read. SSYRA books can also be found as E-books and Audiobooks on Destiny. Please see the attachment on how to access these We are looking forward to a great year in the media center! 😊

• All sizes/PE uniform items are back in stock for purchase.
• The PE Uniform purchase link is back open and will remain open until 12/31/21. You can find it under Important Links on the School website.
• If you purchase a uniform from this point on, please note the following:
• Uniforms will ONLY be issued on Wednesdays at the beginning of PE class.
• Students must present their receipt for their PE uniform purchase (printed receipt or an emailed copy/screen shot on their phone)

SPMS National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring an opportunity to send a special birthday or congratulations message to your student via the marquee in the front of school. Cost is $25. Complete the form here to submit your request (there's a separate link in the form to pay via Schoolpay upon submitting your request). Requests are due the Friday prior to the event and will display the following week (Tuesday through Monday). Example: if you turn in the request on Friday, September 17 then your message will be displayed on Tuesday, September 21.

***Please note that these are NOT sponsored by SPMS. SJMSAA is it’s own entity.

Here is a link to buy tickets to the SJMSAA football games for the upcoming week. Please help us spread the word.

https://events.ticketspicket.com/agency/8e79fc94-8e31-4fde-a719-d7de302f1263

MEETING: September 13th, 2021 10 AM Location: South Hampton Breezeway

Feel free to join us to see what PTSO is all about, this September meeting will cover a lot of important upcoming events.

SPIRIT WEAR: Online Store will reopen September 1st - September 14th

If you ordered Spirit wear at Open House or online, that order will be arriving the week we get back from Labor Day and will be delivered to your student’s Homeroom.

SPMS students can wear spirit wear anytime including days our athletic teams play to show support. Additionally, Fridays are Spirit wear day at Swiss. Staff and students may receive special treats, etc. for showing their Raider spirit.

Due to global impacts caused the pandemic, the supply line for our manufacture is taking longer than normal. If you are considering ordering Spirit wear, please do so while the store is open for two weeks. We anticipate having those orders back by Oct. 1st.

The Online Store will reopen for orders on September 1st and remain open until September 14th at 11:59 PM.

https://squareup.com/store/switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso

NOTHING BUNDT CAKES FUNDRAISER – Order Sept. 7- 10th Delivered: Sept. 16th

For $ 5.00 your student will be able to order bundtlette cakes that will be delivered to their 7th period class on September 16th. This delicious fundraiser helps PTSO fund initiatives like the Raider Store, Field Studies and Class Room Grants.

Order forms will be given to Homeroom teachers and be available at the collection box.

The blue collection box will be in the Main Hall by the Library beginning September 7th. Online ordering is also available at: www.swisspointptso.com beggining September 7th.

RAIDER STORE - First Raider Store, September 3rd during lunch

This is a special store where students can “purchase” special items with their reward virtual points that they earn for good behavior and academic achievement. Our students are recognized for being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe.

Volunteers are needed to help run the store. Please sign up at:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b44a4a72da5f49-raider3

PTSO MEMERSHIP - Please join SPMS PTSO

Please support our students and teachers by joining the PTSO. Memberships are only $20 per family. Memberships are a donation and do not require volunteer hours. Members will receive discount ticket prices on events like the Neon Bash.

Thank you to the 181 Raider Families who have joined the PTSO to date.

Sign up here:

https://squareup.com/store/switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT PTSO

AmazonSmile - Shop through the PTSO link on AmazonSmile! https://smile.amazon.com/ch/59-3741022

Now while you do your regular shopping on Amazon thru AmazonSmile, .5% of your purchase will be donated to SPMS.

Box Tops – Download the Box Tops app and scan your receipts for SMPS PTSO to get Box Top credits.

Keep an eye on the PTSO website, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on what is coming up throughout the year!

Questions/concerns?? spmsptso@hotmail.com

For up to date happenings LIKE us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/SwissPointPTSO/

SPMS PTSO is on INSTAGRAM! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/spmsptso/

Check the PTSO website for all the latest news! http://www.swisspointptso.com/