South Spartan News
Est. 1932 The Spartan tradition continues
*** Team letters were mailed the week of July 29th, in which every parent was sent your child(ren)’s team assignment and supply list. Student class schedules will be available at registration.
2024-2025 Team Assignments: Teams for the 2024-2025 school year have been completed by teachers, specialists, counselors, and administration. I would like to ask that parents please refrain from making any requests to change teams as they often make it very difficult to create well-balanced classrooms. Our staff members know each student well and collectively consider his/her learning style, academic & social skills, and behavior when making a team placement. There is quite a bit of time and effort that goes into forming teams and our students' best interests are always the priority. In general, we will not be making any changes to the teams. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.
Additionally, Here is a list of the important information explained in greater detail in this newsletter:
Registration and Form Drop Off
Busing
7th and 8th Grade Block I Sports
6th Grade Intramurals
Chromebook Device Protection Plan
Open House
School Routines and Expectations
Child Nutrition Program
Band and Orchestra Program
School Pictures
Cell Phone Policy
Tardy/Detention Policy
Important Before and After School Traffic Safety and Routines
Bussing Info
We are currently waiting on busing information from Valley Busing! Please wait for further communication related to busing for this school year! If you want the Valley Busing Website, click on the picture.
School Supplies Lists
School supplies lists are up! You can view the list for your student's team by clicking on the picture for the link.
Attendance Line: 701-746-2346
Please enter this number into your phone so you can inform us when your student is absent or needs to leave our building during the day for an appointment.
Please be courteous to our office staff and teachers and call well in advance to the time that you are needing to pick up your student. By not doing this could result in delayed dismissal of your student and interrupting a teacher in the middle of teaching a class.
8:40 - 3:30
School begins at 8:40 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. (Band and Orchestra start at 7:50 a.m.). We ask that students not enter the building before 8:30 a.m. and leave by 3:45 p.m. unless they prearrange meeting with a teacher or are involved with music, sports practice, or remain in assigned areas. Assigned areas include breakfast in the commons, 6th grade hallway, studying in the media center, or gym.
This policy covers but will not be limited to: arriving late to school in the morning, arriving late to class during the day, not checking in with teachers prior to attending meetings, lessons etc. Below we have outlined the detention policy that will be followed:
-Tardies include EVERY class period and not just PrimeTime, our goal is to make sure the students are getting the most out of their class period starting by arriving on time.
-Every 5 tardies is equal to 1 detention.
-After 10 tardies, a student will be unable to attend activities after school such as: sports practices, sporting games, activity nights, until the missed time has been made up. Students are expected to make up their missed time within one week of the notification being sent home.
-You will be notified from the school once your student has reached the mark 5 tardies resulting in a call/email/letter home from our social worker.
-Detention times are served either from 3:30-4:00pm or in the morning before school from 8:00-8:30am.
-Lunch detention will only be used in cases where your student is unable to sit before or afterschool.
In an effort to decrease distraction and increase student learning and personal connectivity, all Grand Forks Public secondary schools will restrict student cell phone use. This includes add-on devices such as ear buds, smartwatches (notifications must be turned off), and other related devices.
Middle School students who choose to bring their cell phones to school will:
Leave their cell phones with their advisory teacher at the beginning of each school day.
Advisory teachers will secure student phones in locked storage containers until the end of the school day when students will be dismissed in time to retrieve their devices.
No cell phones will be allowed in classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, or locker rooms.
Each school office will communicate a procedure for students who leave school early for appointments, competitions, family related events, etc.
Each 6-12 student will be issued a Chromebook which will provide educational access to the district’s online resources deeming cell phone access unnecessary.
Each school’s office staff will happily get a message to your student during the day if necessary. Students will also be allowed to use the office phone to make important calls during the day.
Middle School Consequences
First Offense: the phone is taken to the office and released to the student at the end of the day; parent / guardian notification. Expectations reinforced with the student.
Second Offense: the phone is taken to the office; parent / guardian picks it up in the office. Student serves detention.
Third Offense: the phone is taken to the office, parent/guardian picks it up. Student serves detention and their phone must be turned in to the office daily at the beginning of the day for the remainder of the semester.
Middle and high school students who do not comply or refuse to turn over their phone may be subject to additional consequences which may include but are not limited to detention, in-school suspension, and/or suspension.
- NO outside foods/drinks (Starbucks, pop, breakfast foods from restaurants etc…) will be allowed into the building. A water bottle is fine.
- IF your child comes to school with a beverage, snack or food item they will need to eat it prior to coming inside of the building.
- Breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 7:40 – 8:30 a.m. No food can be taken out of the cafeteria during breakfast.
- If you bring your child back from an appointment and you have purchased lunch for them, they will need to have eaten the food prior to coming back into the building. They can not bring their outside purchased food or drink into the cafeteria to eat lunch. Please plan accordingly so that they have time to eat the food you buy them prior to returning to school.
Follow South Middle School on YouTube to see the latest updates from our 8th grade students and their production of Spartan Media!
