Sebastian River Times

Hello Cowboy Families,

We have had an amazing start to the new school year. Our initial testing with PM1 and I ready have mostly concluded, and I am excited to say that our students scores are significantly higher this year than last year. Anyone who needs to finish these tests will have the opportunity this week.

Families, this Thursday Sept 5th will be picture day. Students will be required to remain in dress code, and we are asking all students to have their picture taken. These class pictures are also used to update students focus accounts with the most recent picture.

As a reminder we are asking families to please use the North County pool entrance to pick up and drop off students. This entrance is just west of our school entrance which prevents cars from overflowing onto the main road. Also, please do not drop your students off or pick them up other than our parent loop. This will keep all students safe and avoid any serious accidents or injuries.

Finally, just wanted to thank everyone for honoring our new dress code. Its nice to see all students arriving to school dressed for success. Please remember the ID badges as they are part of the districts new dress code policy. Replacement badges can be purchased for $5 from student services.

Last, but not least, I hope to see everyone on our September 18th at our Annual Title I Meeting starting at 4:15 p.m. followed by Open House from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

Warm regards,

Mr. Robert Riskin

Front Office Procedures:

• Visitors: All visitors to SRMS are required to provide a Driver’s License to be entered into the district Raptor software when presenting to campus and at every visit after.

• Late Arrivals: Students arriving after 8:15 will need a parent/guardian to sign them into the front office to record their late arrival to school.
• Early Dismissal: Parents present stating their child has an appointment and are dismissed at that time. Students will be called once the parent has presented and been verified in FOCUS. A parent will be called if someone presents to pick up a student but is not on the contact list. Then the parents must email me permission for the individual to pick up before being released.

**Per District policy, no student is to be dismissed 30 minutes prior to dismissal. Cut off time for Sebastian River Middle School is 2:10 pm. If parent/guardian presents after that time an administrator must be contacted for permission for the student to be dismissed.

Communication:

Please follow FOCUS (messages updated weekly on Facebook, Twitter, SRMS website, for important information and calendar activities for the week. The main telephone number for the school is 772-564-5111, Attendance Line is 772-564-5123.

District policy, parents have 48 hours to report any absences. Include student ID # when reporting. If a student is out due to an appointment, please have the student provide a note to the front desk secretary to excuse.

SRMS, along with all other middle schools in Indian River County, will operate on a 7-period-a-day schedule. All classes will meet every day for 50 minutes with a 3-minute transition time and 30 minutes for lunch.

Student schedules are available in FOCUS.

Our school day begins at 8 a.m.

Supervision of students begins at 7:30 a.m. Please do not drop students off prior to 7:30.

From 7:30-7:50, students may eat breakfast in the cafeteria or wait in their holding area (gym for grades 6 and 7, Cowboy Courtyard for grade 8).

At 7:55, Mr. Racine will offer the morning announcements, and at 8:00 a.m. classroom instruction begins. Your student's daily, on-time attendance is very important to his/her success at SRMS.

If you need to call to excuse your student's absence, the number is 564-5123. Absences must be called in within 48 hours. You may also send a note in with the student, or email to april.gehrke@indianriverschools.org.

ALL SRMS students will be issued a Chromebook during the first week of school. The Chromebooks and chargers will be labeled with the student's name. This year, students are provided a hard shell case for the Chromebooks. This case is to remain on at all times. Students should not remove the case. Hopefully, this will assist in keeping the devices in "like new" condition.

Please encourage your students to take care of these devices as they would any piece of valuable electronic equipment. There is a financial obligation attached if the device is damaged, destroyed, or lost, so this is an excellent opportunity to promote responsible care for borrowed items.

Students should bring their Chromebooks to school DAILY. Students will be given paper assignment(s) if their laptop is not present. If your student breaks or damages a Chromebook, please notify the school immediately. Your student will be instructed to take the broken or damaged device to Mrs. Sturgeon in the Media Center and a loaner laptop will be temporarily issued. Parents will be notified of the next steps in seeking restitution for the broken or damaged Chromebook.

If you have questions at any time during the year about your student's device, please contact

Mr. Keeton at Dustin.Keeton@indianriverschools.org.

Did you know that your student has an @sdirc.org email account through Microsoft Office? Here's a quick video tutorial on how to access their email account.

All traffic should enter through the North County Aquatic Center. For safety reasons, the entrance from State Road 512 will be closed. A diagram for traffic flow is available on the website. No students will be allowed to walk across the 500-wing parking lot to meet their ride. Students meeting their ride at the pool parking lot should exit the front office and follow the sidewalk toward the fence & Railroad Trail. Students may use the crosswalk just past the gate to access the Railroad Trail to the North County Pool parking lot. All vehicles must enter through the rear entrance to the pool and exit at the traffic light of the school.

When dropping off and picking up students from SRMS, we ask that you follow this route:

Enter at the North County Pool, go to the back of the parking area, follow the line around the flag pole, and exit at the light. It is very important that you follow this procedure so we do not back up traffic along CR 512. We appreciate your assistance.

* Please watch carefully for walkers or bike riders in the crosswalk as you exit. *

Bus Forms: If your child rides a bus and is expected to ride another bus for a day, please have a note completed with contact information and a signature. Please refer to the School Bus Transportation Handbook below for more information.

**Per the Transportation administrator, any requests for a student to ride home with another student must be made and emailed with a copy of the parent’s ID and student ID number included a week prior to the request to her attention and her assistant, sooner if possible. The email needs to include the school principal as well. Mrs. Idlette will then verify with the parent and make sure there is room on the bus for additional students. She will then email the parent, the school and notify the bus driver of the additional rider IF APPROVED. Bus drivers will not allow students to ride home without documentation from the Transportation Director. The email will be printed out and a copy provided to the student and bus duty administrator. This has been the process for the last two years due to bus staffing and student occupancy.

Jennifer.Idlette@indianriverschools.org

Judy.Clark@indianriverschools.org

CC: Robert.Riskin@indianriverschools.org

Ebony.Williams@indianriverschools.org

If your student forgets their lunch, you can drop it off in the front office. We will be more than happy to ensure that they receive it at the start of their lunch time. Any items dropped off for students during the school day are delivered during lunch.

• September 5th- Picture Day for all students
• September 5th- NJHS Induction Ceremony
• September 3rd thru October 1st - SAC Strengthen Families Program 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• September 13th- Principal's Challenge 9:00 to 11:45 a.
• September 18th- Open House from 3:00 to 6:00 pm
• September 20th- Dads, Dudes, and Donuts 7:20 to 7:55 a.m.

Incoming 7th graders need to have their T-dap Immunizations before starting 7th grade. Please check with your health care provider to find out if your child needs their immunization and to get a copy of their Immunization Record to turn in to our school's Health Assistant.

This year, Progress Reports and Report Cards will not be printed. Therefore, it is very important that all parents have a Parent FOCUS account.

• The SRMS Media Center is the hub of our school. It is a full-service learning center where students and teachers gather to collaborate, research, create, and read!
  
• Our students will visit the library with their Reading or Critical Thinking classes every other week to learn more about what it means to be an IB student, learn research skills, create IB projects, and check out books.
  

• We also offer flexible hours to students. We open at 7:30 a.m. daily; however, space is limited.

• Students may check out up to 2 books at a time. If your child has any books still checked out from last school year, please send them back as soon as possible. If they are lost, please contact the media center.

• We are very excited to welcome back our SRMS students to the 2023-2024 school year!

  
  

  Media Specialist/IB Coordinator: Christine Sturgeon

  Media Assistant: Carolyn Zimei

If you're the parent of a 7th or 8th grader, you may have heard your student talking last year about PBIS Rewards. This is where they can earn Cowboy Credits for modeling what we call the 4 R's: Ready, Righteous, Responsible, and Respectful behavior. We have prizes they can buy with their credits - everything from candy and snacks to school supplies, wireless earbuds, beauty products, and gifts and small trinkets.

You can download the app and see how many credits your student is earning, from which teacher, and what they are buying with their credits. If you've ever struggled to come up with some dinnertime conversation, this is a great way to engage your student..."I see you earned 25 Cowboy Credits today in class...what did you do to get those?' Or, "Are you saving up your Cowboy Credits to buy something big?"

You can sign the Code of Conduct forms electronically in FOCUS, or you can print them out and send them back to school with your student. Below are all of the Code of Conduct forms you need, in English and Spanish.

The school district and Sebastian River Middle School want you to be aware of a tool you can use to report suspicious activity. You can download the Foritfy FL app on your mobile device.

SchoolTips@ircsheriff.org

If you are interested in joining our PTSA, contact holly.sequera@indianriverschools.org. We are looking for officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) for the 2023-2024 school year.

If you are interested in joining our SAC, contact meredith.tatro@indianriverschools.org. SAC membership needs are dependent on student enrollment demographics.

If you are interested in volunteering at SRMS, contact Dustin.Keeton@indianriverschools.org with your areas of interest and availability.

Home of the Cowboys

Email: srmssocialmedia@gmail.com
Website: srms.indianriverschools.org
Location: 9400 County Road 512, Sebastian, FL, USA
Phone: 772-564-5111
Facebook: facebook.com/SebastianRiverMiddleSchool
Twitter: @srmsCowboys