Switzerland Point Middle School

Hello!

Welcome to Switzerland Point Middle School!!! We are so excited you have as a part of the Raider family. We hope that you will find the information below helpful as you get settled in here at SPMS.

You can also check for updates on our school and district websites.

SPMS Website: http://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/

St. Johns County School District Website: http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us

We look forward to meeting you and your families soon!

Ms. Carnall

Principal

You can find the school supply list attached below.

Any person that plans on entering the building needs to be cleared. The District asks EVERY parent/guardian to register for access. If you are volunteering or having a meeting, you must be cleared through our system.

Please go to: http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/volunteer/ to submit your application. If you have any questions, contact Stacey McEnerney, SPMS Volunteer Coordinator, at 904-547-8650.

You can use HAC to look at your student's updated grades (weekly), attendance, discipline, class schedule (once released), and test scores.

Each student and parent will be issued a username and password to access HAC at the beginning of the year. Current St. Johns County students will continue their same password and login each year.

New students will receive their HAC passwords shortly after registration.

For more information about HAC, please visit the SJCSD website: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/hac/

Schoology is used by teachers to post assignments and due dates for students. Each student and parent will be issued a username and password to access Schoology. This forum creates a calendar for students to access assignments, see when they are due, and sometimes, submit assignments. If you are a returning SJCSD student or parent, your login information does not change. New families to SJCSD will receive this information the first week of school.

You can learn more about Schoology here: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/media/edtech/schoology/schoology-for-parents/

First Day of School for Students: August 12

Last Day of School for Students: May 30

Daily Bell Schedule:

• Warning Bell: 7:25 AM
• 1st Period Begins at 7:30 AM (A student is tardy if they arrive to class later than 7:30 AM)
• 1st Lunch: 10:00-10:30 AM (9:33-10:03 AM on W)
• 2nd Lunch: 10:50-11:20 AM (10:14-10:44 AM on W)
• 3rd Lunch: 11:40-12:10 PM (10:55-11:20 AM on W)
• School Ends at 1:50 PM M/T/TH/F, 12:50 PM on W

SPMS has a 7-period bell schedule that is 45 minutes long every day except Wednesdays. On Wednesdays, classes are 35 minutes long.

Please see the SJCSD Master Calendar and Daily Bell Schedule attached.

Our School Counselors are here to help, along with our Guidance Secretary and Computer Operator.

Students will take ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, and PE every year. Passing these classes with a 60% and above is required to be promoted to the next grade level. Grading scale is as follows:

A- 90-100

B- 80-89

C- 70-79

D- 60-69

F- 59-0

Students will also take 2 elective classes each year, which will be selected by students upon registration.

During 8th grade year, students are required to take Civics, which includes an End of Course state exam that will be 30% of the final grade. Algebra, Geometry, and Biology also have EOCs that are 30% of the final grade.

8th grade students receive a career and education planning component in their social studies class.

If students do not pass a class, they will have the option of retaking that class during the summer through a virtual learning provider.

The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) is set up as a Progress Monitoring (PM) model. FAST assessments for ELA and Math are computer-adaptive tests that are taken on a computer.

There are 3 Progress Monitoring Assessments:

• PM1: Administered in Aug/Sept
• PM2: Administered in Dec/Jan
• PM3: Administered in May (High-stakes testing as scores are used for student placement)

Students in Algebra or Geometry do NOT take the FAST Math assessment. Students in 7th grade Accelerated will take the 7th grade Math FAST for PM1 but will take the 8th grade Math FAST for PM2 and PM3.

Student results from FAST testing can be accessed by families within 1 week. Instructions on how to access student scores can be found here: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Accessing-the-Statewide-Assessments-Family-Portal.pdf .

In addition, be sure your student has the correct calculator throughout the year so they can be familiar with it for the day of testing. Approved calculators can be found here: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FAST-Math-Calculator-Policy.pdf

Other assessments administered:

• The Florida BEST Writing Assessment will be given to all students in March/April.
• End of Course (EOC) assessments are given for students enrolled in Civics, Biology, Algebra, or Geometry. They are worth 30% of the student’s final grade.
• The Statewide Science Assessment (SSA) will be given in May to all 8th grade students enrolled in 8th grade Science (not Biology). Students enrolled in Accelerated 7th grade Science will also take the SSA.

Be sure to visit the testing tab on the SPMS website as it is updated with modified bell schedules, calendars, and other important information!

Research demonstrates that attendance is a critical aspect to student success.

• At SPMS, attendance is tracked by full day absences, tardies, early check outs, and class period.
• Attendance in each course, such as Period 3 ELA, will be monitored.
• We notice that, in middle school, students tend to miss more full and partial days than in elementary without it being necessary. Do we want your child to come sick? No! However, students sometimes claim small things, such as mild allergies, a headache that can be treated, or feeling slightly under the weather, for not attending. When deciding whether to send your child to school, consider:
• Do they have a true fever?
• Have they thrown up in the last twenty-four hours?
• Are they contagious?
• Please strongly consider scheduling vacations around the school calendar.
• If your student is asking to stay home due to school issues (peers, teachers, anxiety, etc.), please reach out to the counselors or a trusted teacher at the school so that we can develop a plan that makes your child feel confident and safe while attending.

Reporting Student Absences

If your student is tardy, early check out, or returns from being absent, a note is required. The note must contain the student’s full legal name and be returned within 48 hours after the student returns to school from their absence. These notes can be turned in to Ms. Corte in the guidance office or by filling out the absence form on our school website.

If students accrue 15 unexcused daily absences, they will be referred to the district as truant. Please refer to the student code conduct for information on truancy:

https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/schoolservices/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2021/08/FINAL-2021-22-Code-of-Conduct-2.pdf

Requesting Early Checkout Procedures

Complete the form on our website to request early check out. It is located on the bottom left (side bar) of the website. The form needs to be completed by 6 AM the day you are requesting early check out. After the 6 AM cut off, please send your child in with a note to the front office like normal. Please do not request early check out more than 2 days in advance.

As a safety precaution, students will only be released to the parent/guardian or the Emergency Contact listed in HAC. A current driver’s license must be presented to the front office to check a student out early. The following procedure will be strictly enforced: NO student may be signed out after 1:25 PM each day except Wednesday. The latest early check out on Wednesday is 12:25 PM. Parents must arrive in the office no later than 1:20 PM (or 12:20 PM on Wednesday) in order to sign their child out early. 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 to be a member of the audience.

Buses

When a student rides a bus, they must ride the bus the Transportation Department has assigned to them. Bus drivers are authorized to issue referrals for rule infractions which could result in disciplinary action, including a bus suspension. Parent requests or complaints regarding bus service should be directed to Transportation at 904-547-7810. Bus information can also be found in your HAC account.

Bicycles

Students may ride bicycles. All bicycles must be parked and locked in the racks provided. Students may never ride bicycles through the bus loading area or on campus. Everyone is required by law to wear a bike helmet when riding bicycles.

Parent Drop Off & Pick Up

Students can be dropped off starting at 6:50 AM. The doors will open at 7:10. At 7:10, students will go to their lockers and then either to breakfast or their first period class.

Students are permitted to go to the cafeteria from 7:10-7:25 if they are purchasing food from our cafeteria. They must eat and then go directly to first period. Anyone arriving to first period after 7:30 will be marked tardy.

·You will be directed by the YRO to pull forward or to pull around the loop.

·Either way, we ask that you pull all the way forward to the cone/sign so we may keep the flow of traffic moving. Please DO NOT RANDOMLY STOP in the drop off line. This affects the movement of traffic.

·If you pull around the loop, we ask your students exit on the right and move into the grass at the right.

·In the morning, there will be no parking in the roundabout. This is for drop-off and thru traffic only.

·There will be no passing of cars in the morning.

·Afternoon Pick Up: Please be sure to pull all the way forward and have your student come to you so we may keep the flow of traffic moving.

·After your student is in the car, you may go left around the loop to exit the parking lot.

·***We will be passing out signs for you to hang in your windshield with the name of your student so we can call their name to expedite the pick up line.

Students that are staying after school for any reason, such as make-up work, review sessions, club meetings, or sports, are under the sponsoring teacher’s supervision until the parent arrives. Students are NOT allowed to sit outside or in the main office unsupervised waiting for their ride. Please be in the parking lot at the time of dismissal from after-school activities.

Lunch procedures will be explained and taught to students the first week of school.

Click here to find more details on lunches: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/cafe/

To deposit money into your student's lunch account, you will use PayPams. Click here to see the information: https://paypams.com/

Meet our SPMS Deans, Ms. Kiersten Saenz and

What do our Deans do?

• Set and teach behavior expectations.
• Enforce positive behaviors.
• Issue consequences for violations against the Code of Conduct.
• Communicate with parents if concerns arise.
• Collaborate with school counselors and teachers to assist with personal or academic concerns.
• Work with the Resource Officer to ensure student safety.
• Advocate for students.
• Use restorative discipline strategies to encourage reflection on behaviors and learning from mistakes.

You can reach our deans using the contact information below:

Please see the SJCSD Student Code of Conduct here: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/schoolservices/conduct/

The Code of Conduct has information regarding SJCSD Guiding Principles, student rights and responsibilities, attendance, school health, and discipline.

The signature page at the back will be required to be printed out and signed. Please either send in your signed copy to the front office or scan and email it to Michelle Campbell at Michelle.M.Campbell@stjohns.k12.fl.us

SPMS uses PBIS to reward students for their positive behavior. Students can earn “RAIDER BUCKS” to use at the Raider Store to purchase prizes or buy ice cream on Fridays. They can also purchase tickets to win prizes at our drawings twice a year.

Students will be given a QR code for teachers to issue Raider Bucks and for students to use their Raider Bucks. QR codes will be issued by the Deans at the beginning of the year.

Demerits

Demerits may be issued for any behavior that does not follow our school rules or the code of conduct. The use of demerits is a way to give students opportunities to learn appropriate behavior. At the beginning of every year, students are informed of school expectations. If a behavior does not meet these expectations or follow the student code of conduct, they will be issued a demerit. Multiple demerits can warrant lunch detention, ISS, or OSS (out of school suspension). Demerits are a way to show grace to students as we teach the behavior expectations. They are formal warnings that do not initially result in consequences. A consequence is issued once a student accumulates 3 demerits throughout the semester. Demerits will reset at the end of the first semester. Demerits do not get logged into the official online records system (HAC) until the 3rd demerit and each demerit that follows in the semester.

***Students will be given a letter to bring home to parents at the beginning of the year. This letter will explain how to log into PBIS so you can check your student's Raider Buck rewards and demerits.

1st Demerit: Warning (teacher contacts parent via email)

2nd Demerit: Warning (teacher contacts parent via email)

3rd Demerit: 1 day Lunch Detention (Deans contact parent)

4th Demerit: 2 days Lunch Detention (Deans contact parent)

5th Demerit: 3 days Lunch Detention (Deans contact parent)

6th Demerit: 1 day ISS (Deans contact parent)

7th Demerit: 2 days ISS (Deans contact parent)

8th Demerit or more: May result in ISS or OSS (Deans contact parent)

Tardies

One expectation is that students are on time to class and to school. We will be using the Swipe360 program for tardies this year. That means if a student is tardy to class, they must go to the machine and enter their student ID. The machine will provide them a pass with their consequence printed out on it and will log the tardy directly into HAC. This process will be explained and modeled during the first few weeks of school.

You can view daily attendance, including tardies, on HAC. Log on, click the attendance tab, and a color-coded calendar appears. Hover over a date to see the attendance codes. Light purple is Tardy to Class (TC). Tardies reset each quarter.

Tardiness to class has the following consequences:

• Tardies #1-4: Warnings
• Tardy #5: 1 Lunch Detention
• Tardy #6: 2 Lunch Detentions
• Tardy #7: 3 Lunch Detentions
• Tardy #8: 1 Day ISS
• Tardy #9: Delayed Transitions until the End of the Quarter

Please note that, regarding consequences, tardies will be cumulative and will include unexcused tardies to school.

The end-of-year trips are rewards for student behavior and attendance. Any student earning a level 4 offense throughout the entire school year will not be eligible for the trip. In addition, students will be ineligible for the trip if during the second semester if they earn any consequence that results in ISS or OSS. In addition, any student who has 15 or more unexcused days of absence will not be eligible for the end-of-year trip. Refunds will not be issued if the trip is paid for prior to your student becoming ineligible.

Attention 8th graders: These behavior and attendance expectations apply to Gradventure, as well as the 8th Grade Formal!!!

Students are allowed to bring cell phones to school; however, all phones must be turned off and stored in their backpack or locker during the school day. Students may not carry cell phones in their pockets. Ear buds need to be in their back packs at all times. Students with Smart Watches may be asked to put them in their backpacks, unless the student has one for a medical reason.

Students are not allowed to make phone calls, send texts or emails, or take or share photographs or videos during the school day. If a student needs to contact home, there is a phone they can use in the front office. If you need to get a message to your student, please call the front office and we will ensure the message gets to them.

The first violation will result in the phone being confiscated until the end of the day. The second violation will result in the phone being confiscated. Then, it must be picked up by a parent at the end of the day. The third violation and each time after that will be considered defiance and the phone will only be released to the parent. Additionally, the student will be required to turn their cell phone in to the dean at the beginning of the day and pick it up from the dean at the end of the day for a period of time as determined by the dean.

Please note that taking pictures or video on campus with or without distributing them is a violation of the code of conduct and subject to automatic Out of School Suspension.

Student Dress Code: The primary responsibility for a student’s attire resides with the student and their parent(s) or guardian(s). The St. Johns County School District expects students to dress in a way that is appropriate for the school day or any school-sponsored event. Student dress code requirements reflect fair, equitable, and consistent practices for all students, while contributing to a safe and positive school climate.

In accordance with statutory requirement F.S. 1006.07 (students are prohibited from wearing clothing that exposes underwear or that exposes body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner), enforcement will focus on positive guidance without embarrassment to the student and should not disrupt the educational process.

All Students:

• Personal attire may be in the style of the day. Clothing, piercings, and accessories displaying profanity, violence, discriminatory messages, sexually suggestive phrases, phrases or symbols of alcohol, tobacco, or drugs is unacceptable.
• Gang graffiti will not be drawn or worn on backpacks, notebooks, folders, papers, clothing or any other object or on the body of any student or person on school property.
• Head gear, including but not limited to, caps, hats, bandanas, and/or sunglasses shall not be worn indoors on campus unless permitted by school administration for religious or medical reasons. Students may wear sunglasses, hats, or other sun‐protective wear while outdoors during school hours.
  
• Clothing must cover areas from one armpit to the other armpit, down to the mid‐thigh. Tops must have shoulder straps and be long enough to adequately cover the waistline and not expose the midriff.

• See‐through or mesh garments must be worn with opaque clothing over or underneath it that meets the standard for clothing coverage.
• Rips or tears in clothing above the mid‐thigh must not expose skin.

Students taking PE are required to wear either a purchased PE uniform or approved shorts/shirt. Students will need to wear sneakers with laces to participate in daily activities in PE. Not dressing out or wearing appropriate sneakers will affect students’ grades in PE. Here is the link to purchase PE uniforms.

Swiss Point Middle School is proud to be one of 2 middle schools in SJCSD that fully implements the Sources of Strength program during the 2023-2024 school year. We are excited to begin this school year with our Getting to Know You Sources of Strength campaign where we will introduce the framework, the sources wheel and our Peer Leaders and Adult Advisors to our school. Sources of Strength is a research based program that is designed to use the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and a healthy culture. It strives to increase overall wellbeing, resiliency, healthy coping mechanisms and a sense of belonging in our students. Sources of strength uses an upstream model that is strengthened with multiple sources of support for our students so when times get hard, they have strengths, both within themselves and in our community, to rely on. We are excited to be a part of this program and are looking forward to the positive impact it will have not only on our students, but our entire SPMS community.

SPMS athletics consists of both boys and girls volleyball and basketball, as well as Winterguard. All other middle school sports are operated by SJMSAA.

The St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association (”SJMSAA”) middle school sports program is not operated or sponsored by the St. Johns County School District. SJMSAA is an independent, private non-profit corporation, which uses District middle school names and facilities under a license agreement with the District, and which is solely responsible for the operation of the SJMSAA middle school sports program and its individual teams.

Students need to register through the SJMSAA website prior to tryouts. Once a student(s) makes a team, he/she will be provided with more information on paying and filling out the required forms

https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/

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 the 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. We will start displaying messages for the 24-25 school year starting August 8.

SPMS PTSO

http://www.swisspointptso.com/

The SPMS PTSO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the learning and work experience of the students and staff at SPMS.

Our membership includes teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

What do we do?

Student Initiatives:

• Neon Bash - Fall Dance for students
• Raider Store - Rewards for students who earn Raider Bucks for academic and behavioral performance
• Grade Level Support
• Character Counts! Rewards

Staff Initiatives:

• Classroom grants - Teacher members are eligible for up to $100 in a classroom grant to purchase items to enhance their classroom
• Staff luncheons and breakfast
• Staff appreciation
• School support throughout the year

How do we pay for these initiatives?

• MEMBERSHIP - This is our biggest fundraiser. By simply joining PTSO, families help us reach our goals
• Spirit Wear - PTSO sells spirit wear each fall
• Fall/Spring Fundraisers - Examples include Nothing Bundt Cakes and Poppin' Box popcorn
• Business Partners - Our area businesses help SPMS through our Partners in Education program
• Corporate Donation Matches, Box Tops and Private Donations

How do you join?

• A family membership is $25 for the school year. The membership includes parents and any sibling at SPMS.
• Membership form can be found at https://switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

We are excited about a wonderful and busy 2024-2025 school year and making a difference at Swiss!

If you are interested in finding out how you can help, contact Dawn Evans at dawnevanswebpto@gmail.com

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT PTSO

There will be various fundraisers throughout the school year to participate in to help fund the PTSO 2024-2025 initiatives.

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/